«•** 


■ ■ •• ' ]' 

GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  MICHIGAN 

ALFRED  C.  LANE,  STATE  GEOLOGIST 


VOL  VIII 

PART  111 


MARL  (BOG  LIME! 


AND  ITS  APPLICATION  TO  .THE  MANUFACTURE  OF 


PORTLAND  CEMENT 


A 


BY 


DAVID  J.  HALE 

AND  OTHERS 


u 


ACCOMPANIED  BY  TWENTY-THREE  PLATES 
AND 

FORTY-THREE  FIGURES 


PUBLISHED  BY  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  LAWS  OF 

MICHIGAN 

UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF 
THE  BOARD  OF  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 


LANSING 

ROBERT  SMITH  PRINTING  CO.,  STATE  PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS 
I 903 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


/ 


https://archive.org/details/geologicalsurvey83mich 


/ 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS. 


DOUGLASS  HOUGHTON,  State  Geologist. 


Reports  from  1838-1846  were  published  with  Legislative  documents  as  follows:  S.  D. 

means  Senate  documents;  II.  D.,  House  documents;  J.  D.,  joint  documents.  State 
Geologist  is  abbreviated  S.  G.,  and  State  Geological  Survey,  S.  G.  S. 

1838.  Report  of  a select  committee  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  on  the 

collection  of  the  S.  G. 

H.  D.  Vol.  I,  p.  1-2;  S.  D.  No.  1,  p.  1.  H.  D.  No.  55  is  duplicate  of  No.  1. 
Statement  of  the  expeditures  on  account  of  the  S.  G.  S.  for  the  year  1837. 

H.  D.  No.  8,  pp.  115-118;  S.  D.  No.  21  (First  annual  account  of  the  S.  G.),  pp.  315-318. 
Report  of  the  S.  G.  (first  annual). 

H.  D.  No.  24,  pp.  276-317;  S.  D.  No.  16;  separately,  No.  14,  pp.  1-39. 

Communication  from  the  S.  G. 

H.  D.  No.  46.  pp.  457-460. 

1839.  Report  of  the  S.  G.  in  relation  to  the  improvement  of  State  Salt  Springs. 

H.  D.  No.  2,  pp.  39-45;  S.  D.  No.  2,  pp.  1-8. 

Report  of  the  committee  on  the  S.  G.’s  report  in  relation  to  the  improvement  of 
the  State  Salt  Springs. 

H.  D.  No.  4.  pp.  123. 

Report  of  the  S.  G.  in  relation  to  the  iron  ore.  etc.,  on  the  school  section  in  town 
five  south,  range  seven  west,  in  Branch  county. 

II.  D.  No.  21,  pp.  342-344. 

Second  annual  report  of  the  State  Geologist. 

H.  D.  No.  23,  pp.  380-507;  S.  D.  No.  12,  pp.  264-391;  also  separately  H.  R.  No.  23, 
and  S.  R.  sometimes  misprinted  No.  13  and  No.  23,  pp.  39  and  appendix  of  sub- 
reports 123  pp. 

Report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Senate  on  Manufactures,  to  whom  was  referred 
the  communication  of  the  S.  G.  relative  to  salt  springs  and  the  salines  of  the 
State. 

S.  D.  No.  3,  pp.  85-86  (parallel  to  H.  D.  No.  4). 

Communication  from  the  S.  G.  relative  to  the  G.  S. 

S.  D.  No.  25,  pp.  463-466;  J.  D.  No.  3,  app. 

1840.  Report  of  S.  G.  relative  to  the  improvement  of  the  Salt  Springs. 

H.  D.  No.  2,  Yol.  I,  pp.  18-23;  S.  D.  No.  8.  Yol.  II,  pp.  153-158. 

Annual  report  of  the  State  Geologist  (third,  map  of  Wayne  county). 

II.  D.  No.  27,  Vol.  II,  pp.  206-293;  S.  D.  No.  7,  Vol.  2,  pp.  66-153;  separately  H.  R. 
No.  8,  pp.  1-124. 

Report  of  the  select  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  several  reports  of  the 
S.  G. 


% 


% 

% 


No. 


H.  D.  No.  46,  Vol.  IT,  pp.  455-461. 

Report  of  the  majority  of  the  Committee  of  Finance  on  the  communication  and 
accounts  of  the  S.  G.  for  1839. 

Report  of  the  minority  of  the  Committee  on  Finance  on  the  same  subject. 

Report  of  the  select  committee  on  S.  G.’s  report  and  accounts  relative  to  improve- 
ment of  Salt  Springs,  etc. 

S.  G.’s  account  for  the  year  1839,  the  same  being  the  subject  matter  of  the  three 
preceding  reports. 

S.  D.  No.  15,  16,  17,  18,  pp.  209-224. 

1841.  Special  message  concerning  State  Salt  Spring^. 

H.  S.  and  J.  D.  No.  5,  pp.  235-254. 

Annual  report  of  the  S.  G.  (fourth). 

H.  S.  and  J.  D.  No.  11,  pp.  472-607;  separately  H.  D.  No.  27,  pp.  1-184;  S, 

16,  pp.  1-184. 

Report  of  the  S.  G.  relative  to  county  state  maps. 

II.  D.  No.  35,  pp.  94-98. 

1842.  Report  of  the  S.  G.  relative  to  the  State  Salt  Springs. 

H.  D.  No.  2,  pp.  15-21;  S.  D.  No.  1,  pp.  1-9. 

Report  of  the  select  committee  in  relation  to  the  report  of  the  S.  G. 

H.  D.  No.  19,  pp.  77-79. 

Annual  report  of  the  S.  G.  (fifth.). 

H.  D.  No.  14,  p.  6;  J.  D.  No.  9,  pp.  436-441. 

1843.  Annual  report  of  S.  G.  (sixth). 

H.  D.,  S.  D.,  and  J.  D.  No.  8,  pp.  398-402. 

Report  of  the  S.  G.  relative  to  the  State  Salt  Springs. 

S.  D.  No.  9,  pp.  402-408. 

1844.  Annual  report  of  the  S.  G.  (seventh). 

S.  D.  No.  11  (three  pages). 

Maps  of  Washtenaw.  Calhoun,  Jackson  and  Lenawee  counties  were  published 
separately. 

1846.  Report  from.  Geological  Department  by  S.  W.  Higgins,  principal  assistant. 

J.  D.  No.  12,  22  pp. 

Report  of  the  joint  committee  relative  to  the  Geological  Survey. 

.7.  D.  No.  15,  8 pages. 


///- 


// 


T 


A.  WINCHELL,  State  Geologist. 

1861.  First  biennial  report  of  the  progress  of  the  G.  S.  of  M.  Embracing  observations 
of  the  Geology,  Zoology  and  Botany  of  the  Lower  Peninsula.  Made  to  the 
Governor,  Dec.  31,  1860. 

The  Walling  Tackabury  State  Atlas  contains  a paper  with  geological  and  topo- 
graphic maps  by  A.  Winchell,  reprinted  separately  under  the  title  “Michigan.” 

1869.  Report  of  the  Join  Committees  on  Geological  Survey,  made  to  the  Legislature  of 
Michigan,  Lansing,  W.  S.  George  & Co.,  Printers  to  the  State,  pp.  1-15. 

1871.  Report  of  the  progress  of  the  S.  G.  S.  of  M.,  pamphlet,  pp.  1-64. 

1873.  Vol.  1.  Upper  Peninsula.  1869-1873.  Accompanied  by  an  Atlas  of  maps.  Edition 

2,000. 

Part  I.  Iron  Bearing  Rocks  (Economic),  T.  B.  Brooks.  Of  this  an  extra  edition 
of  500  with  thirteen  accompanying  atlas  plates  (1  to  13,  No.  2 is  misnumbered 
11)  was  issued. 

Part  II.  Copper  Bearing  Rocks,  Raphael  Pumpelly  (Plates  14,  14a  15-23  of  the 
atlas  accompanying;  Chapters  IV,  VII.  VIII  are  by  A.  R.  Marvine). 

Part  III.  Palaeozoic  Rocks,  Dr.  C.  Rominger.  ( Plate  24  of  the  Atlas  accompanies. 
There  was  an  extra  edition  of  500  dated  1872.  without  map  or  index,  differing 
slightly  in  title  page,  introduction  and  paging). 


1873. 


Yol.  II.  Upper  Peninsula.  1869-1873,  appendices  to  Part  I,  Vol.  1.  A.  Lithology 
by  A.  A.  Julien,  B.  Lithology  by  T.  B.  Brooks  and  A.  A.  Julien.  C.  Lithology 
by  Charles  E.  Wright,  D.  Ore  deposits,  E.  Lithology  (Notes  by  D.  Houghton), 

F.  Iron  ore  dock  (by  Jacob  Houghton  and  Chas.  H.  Palmer,  with  Plate  20), 

G.  Census  statistics  (1870),  H.  Magnetic  Analyses  (by  F.  B.  Jenney),  I.  Mining 
laws  (by  C.  D.  Lawton),  J.  Metallurgical  qualities  by  H.  B.  Tuttle,  K.  Con- 
tortions of  Laminae  (by  T.  B.  Brooks). 

C.  ROMINGER,  State  Geologist. 

1876.  Vol.  III.  Lower  Peninsula.  1873-1876,  accompanied  by  a geological  mab.  Edition 

2,000. 

Part  I.  Geology  of  the  Lower  Peninsula,  by  C.  Rominger. 

Appendix  A.  Observations  on  the  Ontonagon  Silver  Mining  District  and  the 
State  Quarries  of  Huron  Bay,  by  C.  Rominger.  B.  Report  on  the  Salt  Manu- 
facture of  Michigan,  by  S.  S.  Garrigues,  Ph.  D.,  State  Salt  Inspector. 

Part  II.  Paleontology.  Fossil  corals,  by  C.  Rominger  (with  55  plates). 

1881.  Vol.  IV.  Upper  Peninsula.  1878-1880,  accompanied  by  a Geological  map.  (Edition 
2,000.)  Part  I.  Marquette  Iron  Region.  Part  II.  Menominee  Iron  Region, 
by  C.  Rominger. 

See  also  Vol.  V,  Part  I. 

See  also  reports  by  Brooks,  Pumpelly  and  Wright  in  the  reports  of  the  Wisconsin 
Geological  Survey. 

C.  E.  WRIGHT  AND  M.  E.  WADSWORTH,  State  Geologists. 

See  Vol.  II  and  Vol.  V,  also  the  reports  of  the  Commissioners  of  Mineral  Statistics 
and  the  following  entry: 

1893.  Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Geological  Survey  for  the  years  1891  and  1892,  to 
which  are  appended  exhibits  setting  forth  the  Expenses  of  the  Survey  from 
its  Inception  to  November,  1892,  Exclusive  of  the  Cost  of  Publication.  Also 
the  Reports  of  Dr.  Carl  Rominger  for  the  years  1881-2;  of  Mr.  Charles  E. 
Wright  for  the  years  g 1885-8, ; of  Dr.  M.  E.  Wadsworth  for  the  years  1889. 
1890,  1891,  1892,  made  to  the  State  Board  of  Geological  Survey  for  the  years 
named;  also  a Provisional  Report  by  Dr.  M.  E.  Wadsworth.  State  Geologist, 
upon  the  Geology  of  the  Iron,  Gold  and  Copper  Districts  of  Michigan. 

L.  L.  HUBBARD,  State  Geologist. 

1895.'  Vol.  V.  Upper  Peninsula,  1881-1884;  Lower  Peninsula,  1885-1893.  (Edition  2,500.) 
Prefatory  Historical  Note  by  L.  L.  Hubbard. 

Part  I.  Geological  Report  on  the  Upper  Peninsula  of  Michigan,  exhibiting  the 
progress  of  work  from  1881-JS84.  Iron  and  Copper  Regions,  by  C.  Rominger, 
accompanied  by  a map  and  two  geological  cross-sections. 

Part  II.  The  geology  of  lower  Michigan,  with  reference  to  deep  borings.  Edited 
from  notes  of  C.  E.  Wright,  late  State  Geologist,  by  Alfred  C.  Lane,  Assistant 
State  Geologist,  with  an  introduction  on  the  origin  of  salt,  gypsum  and  petro- 
leum, by  Lucius  L.  Hubbard,  and  accompanied  by  seventy-three  plates  and 
a map. 

1899.  Extracts  from  the  annual  reports  of  the  State  Geologist  of  Michigan,  Lucius  L. 

Hubbard,  for  the  years  1897-1898.  (By  an  error  in  Lansing  this  report  really 
contains  only  the  report  for  1S98.  Edition  500.) 

Vol.  VI.  Upper  Peninsula,  1893-1897  (edition  954  and  200  of  each  part  privately 

printed). 

Part  I.  Geological  Report  on  Isle  Royale,  Michigan,  by  Alfred  C.  Lane.  Assist- 
ant State  Geologist.  Accompanied  by  16  plates  and  29  figures,  including  map 
in  cover. 

Part  II.  Keweenaw  Point,  with  particular  reference  to  the  felsites  and  their 
associated  rocks,  by  Lucius  L.  Hubbard,  State  Geologist.  Accompanied  by  10 
plates  and  11  figures. 

Part  II.  Appendix.  The  crystallization  of  the  calcite  from  the  copper  mines  of 
Lake  Superior,  by  Charles  Palache.  Accompanied  by  six  plates  (100  extra 
printed  separately). 

ALFRED  C.  LANE,  State  Geologist. 

Coal  in  Lower  Michigan,  by  Alfred  C.  Lane,  published  serially  in  the  Michigan 
Miner,  Vol.  I,  Nos.  3 to  10,  February  to  September,  1899,  (500  reprints). 

1900.  Annual  Report  for  the  year  1899.  Michigan  Miner,  Vol.  II,  No.  3,  February, 

1900  (500  reprints  stitched  in  with  the  following  No.). 

The  Origin,  Properties  and  Uses  of  Shale,  by  H.  Ries,  Special  Agent  for  the 
State  Geological  Survey. 

Preliminary,  inofficial,  see  Vol.  VIII,  Part  I.  Published  in  the  Michigan  Miner. 
Vol.  1,  No.  12,  Vol.  2,  Nos.  1 and  3 (500  reprints). 

Vol.  VII.  Lower  Peninsula.  1893-1899.  (Edition  1,500  and  500  of  each  part  issued 
separately). 

Part  I.  Geological  Report  on  Monroe  County,  Michigan,  by  W.  H.  Sherzer. 

Accompanied  by  17  plates  and  8 figures,  including  three  colored  maps. 

Part  II.  Geological  Report  on  Huron  County,  Michigan,  by  Alfred  C.  Lane, 
accompanied  by  11  plates,  12  figures  and  one  inserted  table,  including  two 
colored  maps.  (100  extras  of  Chapter  IX,  X §2.  and  X §3). 

Part  III.  Geological  Report  on  Sanilac  County.  Michigan,  by  C.  H.  Gordon, 
accompanied  by  5 plates  and  2 figures,  including  one  colored  map. 

Vol.  VIII.  Economic  Geology,  1899.  (edition  1,500,  500  of  each  part  bound  sepa- 
rately). 

Part  I.  Clays  and  Shales  of  Michigan,  their  Properties  and  Uses,  by  H.  Ries, 
Accompanied  by  four  plates  and  six  figure 

1901.  Annual  Report  for  the  year  1900.  Michigan  Miner  Vol.  Ill,  Nos.  2 and  3 (Reprints 

furnished  and  issued  by  State  Board.) 

1902.  Vol.  VIII.  Part  II.  Coal  in  Michigan,  its  Mode  of  Occurrence  and  Quality,  by 

Alfred  C.  Lane,  accompanied  by  nine  plates  and  nine  figures,  including  one 
colored  map. 

Report  of  the  State  B.  of  G S.  for  the  year  1901.  seven  figures,  fifteen  plates  and 
maps.  (Edition  1,500,  reprints  200  each,  of  numerous  papers.) 

1903.  Report  of  the  State  B.  of  G.  S.  for  the  year  1902.  (Edition  500,  reprint  from 

Michigan  Miner,  Vol.  V.  No.  2.) 

Vol.  VIII.  Part  111,  Marl  (Bog  lime)  and  its  Application  to  the  Manufacture  of 
Portland  Cement,  by  David  J.  Hale  and  others,  accompanied  by  23  plates 
and  43  figures,  including  one  colored  map. 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  MICHIGAN 


LOWER  PENINSULA 

1 900- 1 903 


VOL.  VIII 


PART  I.  CLAYS  AND  SHALES,  H.  RIES 

PART  II.  COAL,  A.  C.  LANE 

PART  III.  MARL  [BOG  LIME],  D.  J.  HALE 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  MICHIGAN 

ALFRED  C.  LANE,  STATE  GEOLOGIST 


VOL.  VIII 

PART  111 


MARL  (BOG  LIME! 


AND  ITS  APPLICATION  TO  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF 

PORTLAND  CEMENT 


BY 

DAVID  J.  HALE 

AND  OTHERS 


ACCOMPANIED  BY  TWENTY-THREE  PLATES 

AND 

FORTY-THREE  FIGURES 


PUBLISHED  BY  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  LAWS  OF 

MICHIGAN 

UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF 

THE  BOARD  OF  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 


LANSING 

ROBERT  SMITH  PRINTING  CO.,  STATE  PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS 
I 903 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1903,  by 


Governor  A.  T.  Bliss 


for  the  State  of  Michigan,  in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Office  of  the  State  Geological  Survey, 
Lansing  Mich.,  March  31,  1903. 

To  the  Honorable , the  Board  of  Geological  Survey  of  Michigan: 

Hon.  A.  T.  Bliss,  Governor  and  President  of  the  Board. 

Hon  L.  L.  Wright,  President  of  the  Board  of  Education. 

Hon.  Delos  Fall,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
and  Secretary  of  the  Board. 

Gentlemen — Herewith  I transmit  as  Part  III,  the  concluding 
part,  of  Vol.  VIII,  a report  containing  the  results  of  examination  of 
the  raw  materials  of  the  Portland  Cement  industry,  more  particu- 
larly the  beds  commonly  known  as  marl,  but  more  properly  known  as 
bog-lime,  for  the  more  nearly  pure  calcium  carbonate  a bed  is  the 
more  valuable  it  is. 

My  original  plan  was  for  a brief  report  something  upon  the  order 
of  that  by  H.  Ries  in  Part  I of  this  volume,  arrangements  for  which 
were  made  about  the  same  time,  to  be  prepared  wholly  by  Mr.  Hale. 
But  the  subject  grew  upon  him,  and  he  obtained  the  promise  of  co- 
operation from  Messrs.  Lathbury  and  Spackman  and  R.  L.  Hum- 
phrey, whom  we  have  to  thank  for  their  valuable  papers. 

I had  also  expressed  to  C.  A.  Davis  my  feeling  that,  for  reasons 
which  I have  elsewhere  given,  none  of  the  theories  then  current  were 
competent  to  account  for  the  origin  of  these  very  extensive  and  pure 
deposits  of  calcium  carbonate.  He  suggested  the  agency  of  the  algae, 
and  at  my  request  worked  the  matter  out,  with  the  results  herein  in- 
corporated, and  I believe  his  contribution  is  a most  valuable  addi- 
tion to  science.  In  the  meantime , facts  of  one  sort  and  another  kept 
accumulating,  and  so  the  present  report  was  built  up.  I trust  that 
its  lack  of  unity  may  be  atoned  for  by  its  value.  If  it  trespasses 
rather  far  into  the  field  of  manufacturing  for  the  economic  geologist, 
I can  only  say  that  Mr.  Hale  thought  that  this  would  be  useful,  and 
that  some  description  of  the  methods  of  manufacture  were  needed  to 
understand  those  properties  of  the  raw  material  which  were  most 
valuable. 

This  volume  is  already  too  large,  or  I should  have  been  tempted  to 


IV 


MICHIGAN  GEOLOGICAL  SUBVEY. 


add  to  the  treatment  of  the  three  materials  for  cement  considered 
herein,  clay,  coal  and  bog-lime,  a fourth  part  on  limestone.  The  State 
contains  much  limestone  suited  for  the  manufacture  of  Portland 
cement,  and  the  question  between  it  and  bog-lime  is  a business  one, 
whether  it  is  cheaper  to  grind  up  the  limestone  or  evaporate  the 
water  out  of  the  marl.  The  output  of  a plant  will  ordinarily  be  in- 
creased by  using  ground  limestone. 

Nothing  in  science  is  final,  and  this  report  is  not  the  last  word  on 
the  subject.  Prof.  E.  D.  Campbell  of  the  University  at  Ann  Arbor  is 
even  now  at  work  on  a very  important  series  of  papers,  affecting, 
however,  more  especially  the  theory  of  manufacture. 

With  great  respect  I am  your  obedient  servant, 

ALFRED  C.  LANE, 

State  Geologist. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

CHAPTER  II. 

USES  OF  MARL.  Page 

Sec.  1.  Quicklime - •> 3 

2.  Fertilizer 3 

3.  Minor  uses 4 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE. 

1.  Description • • ^ 5 

2.  General  distribution 9 

3.  Prospecting  tools 9 

Method  of  operating 12 

4.  Location  of  marl 13 

5.  The  distribution  of  marl  in  a single  bed 16 

6.  Surroundings  of  marl 23 

(a)  Shore  wash 4 

(b)  Streams 25 

(c)  Surface 25 

(d)  Silt  under  water 26 

(e)  Lining  of  marsh  growth  or  decayed  plant  life 27 

(f)  Organic  matter  permeating  deposits 27 

(A)  Organic  matter  of  the  marl  deposit 27 

(B)  Organic  matter  of  drainage 27 

(g)  Materials  underlying  marl 28 

(h)  Materials  overlying  marl 29 

7.  Method  of  prospecting  a given  area 29 

8.  Commercial  importance  of  composition 30 

(1)  Appearance 31 

(2)  Composition 32 

(3)  Interpretation 34 

Calcium  carbonate 34 

Magnesium  carbonate 

Ferric  oxideand  alumina . . 

Insoluble  and  soluble  silica. 

Soluble  silica 36 

Organic  matter 37 

Sulphuric  and  phosphoric  acids,  chlorine,  etc 37 

9.  Location  and  size  of  bed 38 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 

1.  Introduction— the  various  theories 41 

(1)  Shell  theory 41 

(2)  Sedimentary  theory 42 

(3)  Chemical  theory 42 


8?  $ 8? 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction  - Continued:  Page 

S EC.  2.  Shells 43 

3.  Sedimentary  theory 44 

4.  Chemical  theory 44 

5.  Indications  by  circumstances  of  occurrence 47 

CHAPTER  V. 

A CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAE  HISTORY  OF  MARL. 

BY  C.  A.  DAVIS. 

1.  Historical  introduction 65 

2.  Ultimate  sources 66 

3.  Alternative  methods  of  deposition 66 

4.  Cause  of  deposition  upon  aquatic  plants 69 

5.  Relative  importance  of  Chara  (Stone wort) 70 

Analytical  tests 71 

References  in  literature 77 

Sources  of  thick  crust 79 

6.  Marl  beds  without  Chara 81 

7.  Association  of  marl  and  peat 82 

8.  Turbidity  due  to  marl 83 

9.  Conclusions 86 

10.  Method  of  concentration  by  Chara 87 

11.  Blue-green  algae  and  their  work 90 

12.  Littlefield  Lake,  Isabella  county 92 

Appendix,  on  the  shells  of  marls  by  Bryant  Walker 97 

Notes 98 

Localities 99 

CHAPTER  VI. 

RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK. 

1.  Lansing— Summer,  1899 103 

White  Pigeon 103 

Bronson,  Quincy,  Cold  water 104 

Jonesville 106 

Kalamazoo 106 

2.  Cloverdale 107 

Cloverdale  Region— Summary 128 

3.  Pierson  Lakes 131 

4.  Lime  Lake  and  vicinity 133 

Lime  Lake 134 

Twin  Lakes 134 

5.  Fremont  district 135 

6.  Muskegon  district 137 

7.  Benzie  county 137 

8.  Harrietta  138 

9.  Escanaba 138 

10.  Munising 139 

11.  Wetmore 139 

12.  Manistique 140 

13.  Corinne 140 

14.  Grand  Traverse  Region 141 

15.  Central  Lake 142 

16.  East  Jordan  and  vicinity 148 

17.  Manistee  Junction 150 

18.  Rice  Lake 151 

19.  St.  Joseph  River  and  tributaries 1d4 

20.  Onekama 154 


CONTENTS.  vii 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL. 

Page 

Sec.  1.  Introduction r 153 

2.  Definition  of  terms  158 

3.  Historical 159 

4.  Materials  for  cement 160 

5.  Kiln  process  of  cement  manufacture 162 

6.  The  rotary  process 163 

7.  Preliminaries 165 

1.  Digging 165 

2.  Draining 166 

3.  Dredging 166 

8.  Estimates  on  raw  material 167 

9.  Requisites  for  marl  deposit 169 

Surfacing 169 

Necessary  composition — ........ 169 

Depth 169 

Sulphuric  acid A 170 

Magnesia 170 

Grain 170 

10.  Clay 170 

11.  Admixture  of  raw  materials 171 

12.  Mixing  and  raw  grinding 173 

13.  Burning 174 

14.  Clinker  grinding 179 

15.  Motive  power 184 

16.  Storage  and  packing 185 

17.  Specifications  for  cement 186 

18.  Buildings 188 

19.  Review 189 

APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  MARL  AND  CLAY  PROPERTIES  FOR  THE  MANUFACTURE 

OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT. 

BY  B.  B.  LATHBURT. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOG  LIMES. 

BY  A.  C.  LANE. 

1.  Introduction 199 

2.  Origin  of  bog  lime,  chemical  considerations 199 

Abstract  of  Treadwell  and  Reuter’s  article 201 

1.  Calcium  bicarbonate 206 

2.  Magnesium  bicarbonate 213 

3.  Calcium  bicarbonate  in  solution  with  NaCl 213 

4.  Sodium  bicarbonate 215 

3.  Microscopic  investigations 218 

(a)  Microscopic  precipitate  by  loss  of  CO2  and  heating 218 

(b)  Precipitate  by  evaporation 220 

(c)  Chara  fragments 220 

( Blue  green  algae .h 221 

(e)  Shell  structure 221 

(f)  Limestone  flour 222 

4.  Conclusions 223 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 

COMPILED  BY  A.  C.  LANE. 

Page 

Sec.  1.  Introduction 224 

Alpena  Portland  Cement  Co 224 

Omega  Portland  Cement  Co 227 

Peninsular  Portland  Cement  Co 233 

Peerless  Portland  Cement  Co 237 

Bronson  Portland  Cement  Co 239 

Newaygo  Portland  Cement  Co.  (Gibraltar  Brand) 240 

Elk  Rapids  Portland  Cement  Co 244 

Wolverine  Portland  Cement  Co 246 

Michigan  Alkali  Co.,  Wyandotte  (J.  B.  Ford) 248 

Hecla  Cement  and  Coal  Co 251 

George  Lake 252 

Edwards  Lake 253 

Chapman  Lake 253 

Plummer  Lake 254 

CrapoLake 254 

Mills  Lake 255 

The  Great  Northern  Portland  Cement  Co 268 

Detroit  Portland  Cement  Co 270 

Egyptian  Portland  Cement  Co 272 

Twentieth  Century  Portland  Cement  Co 281 

Zenith  Portland  Cement  Co 282 

Standard  Portland  Cement  Co 288 

Wayne  Portland  Cement  Co 291 

Pyramid  Portland  Cement  Co 291 

German  Portland  Cement  Co 291 

Three  Rivers  Cement  Co 292 

Farwell  Portland  Cement  Co 292 

Clare  Portland  Cement  Co 293 

Watervale  Portland  Cement  Co 297 

Lupton  Portland  Cement  Co 297 

Standiford  Portland  Cement  Co 301 

Bellaire  Portland  Cement  Co 306 

West  German  Portland  Cement  Co 306 

Locations  reported  by  Douglass  Houghton  Survey 306 

Marl 309 

Local  details  of  Marl,  Jackson  County 309 

Eaton  and  Kalamazoo  Counties 310 

Calhoun,  Kent  and  Ionia  Counties 311 

Locations  arranged  by  counties 312 

Monroe  and  Lenawee  counties 312 

Hillsdale,  Branch,  St.  Joseph  and  Cass  counties 313 

Berrien,  Van  Buren,  Kalamazoo,  Calhoun  counties 314 

Jackson,  Washtenaw,  Wayne,  Macomb  counties 315 

Oakland,  Livingston,  Ingham  counties 316 

Eaton,  Barry  counties 317 

Ottawa,  Allegan,  Kent  counties 318 

Ionia  county 319 

Clinton,  Shiawassee.  Genesee  counties. 320 

Lapeer,  St.  Clair,  Sanilac,  Huron,  Tuscola  counties 321 

Saginaw,  Gratiot,  Montcalm  counties 322 

Muskegon,  Oceana,  Newaygo  counties 325 

Mecosta,  Isabella,  Midland,  Bay,  Arenac,  Gladwin  counties 326 

Clare,  Osceola,  Lake,  Manistee,  Wexford,  Benzie,  Grand  Traverse, 

Leelanau  counties 327 

Ogemaw,  Iosco,  Alcona  counties 334 

Oscoda  and  Crawford  counties 337 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


Sec.  1.  Introduction— Locations  by  counties—  Continued:  Page 

Kalkaska,  Grand  Traverse.  Benzie,  Leelanau,  Antrim,  Otsego,  Mont- 
morency, Alpena  counties 338 

Presque  Isle  county 339 

Cheboygan,  Emmet  counties  and  Upper  Peninsula 340 

Houghton  county 341 

Marls  and  Clays  in  Michigan  by  Delos  Fall 343 

Marl 343 

Michigan  Clays 345 

Discussion 317 

CHAPTER  X. 

METHODS  OF  AND  COMMENTS  ON  TESTING  CEMENT. 

BY  RICHARD  L.  HUMPHREY. 

Sampling 359 

Chemical  analysis 360 

Specific  gravity 362 

Fineness 363 

Normal  Consistency 364 

Time  of  setting 366 

Tensile  strength 368 

Constancy  of  volume 374 

Conclusion 377 


X 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PLATES. 

Opposite 

page 

Plate  1,  Marl  soundings  1,  2,  3,  4,  11a,  lib,  by  D.  J.  Hale 16 

Plate  2,  Horseshoe  lake  and  soundings 48 

Plate  3,  Union  City  (Peerless  plant)  and  Coldwater  (Wolverine  plant) 104 

Plate  4,  General  exterior  view  of  an  eleven  kiln  plant 160 

Plate  5,  General  plan  of  four  kiln  plant,  with  place  for  expansion 168 

Plate  6,  General  interior  view  of  slurry  department 170 

Plate  7,  View  of  rotary 174 

Plate  8,  Front  hoods  of  rotary  kilns  and  clinker  elevators 184 

Plate  9,  General  plan  of  a three  kiln  plant,  with  elevations 184 

Plate  10,  Battery  of  Griffin  mills,  grinding  clinker 184 

Plate  11,  Cross  section  of  a Griffin  mill 184 

Plate  12,  View  in  Newaygo  Cement  plant 190 

Plate  13,  General  interior  showing  tube  mills 198 

Plate  14,  A.  Office  building,  with  laboratories,  etc 198 

B.  Stockhouse,  with  self-discharging  bins  under  construction 

C.  Bottom  of  concrete  slurry  pits  under  construction 

D.  Dry  marl  deposit  with  hauling  arrangement . 

Plate  15,  General  exterior  view  of  four  kiln  plant 198 

Plate  16,  Microscopically  enlarged  fragments  and  sections  of  Chara 220 

Plate  17,  Plan  and  view  of  Newaygo  plant 240 

Plate  18,  Dam  and  raceway  for  Newaygo  plant 240 

Plate  19,  Property  and  borings  of  Farwell  P.  C.  Co.  at  Littlefield  Lake 292 

Plate  a),  Map  of  Marl  beds  of  the  S.  P.  Cement  Co.,  Athens,  Mich 304 

Plate  21,  Silver  Lake  marl  beds 320 

Plate  22,  General  view  of  Newaygo  Cement  plant 328 

Dredge  excavating  marl,  Newaygo 

Plate  23,  Index  map End. 

FIGURES. 

Page 

Fjg.  1.  Liquid  marl  sampler 11 

“ 2.  Robert  W.  Hunt  &Co.,  sampler 13 

“ 3.  Sketch  map  of  Hope  Township,  Cloverdale  district 14 

4.  Soundings  28.  29,  31,  32  Cloverdale 115 

“ 5.  Soundings  33,  34,  36,  37,  Cloverdale 120 

“ 6.  Soundings  36,  37,  38,  39,  40,  42,  Cloverdale 121 

“ 7.  Soundings  3 to  8 Pine  Lake 127 

8.  Fremont  Lake 135 

9.  Soundings  1 to  4,  Duck  Lake 142 

“ 10.  Soundings  at  Central  Lake 143 

“ 11.  Section  across  North  Island,  Central  Lake.  144 

“ 12.  Section  across  South  Island.  Central  Lake 145 

“ 13.  Rice  Lake 152 

“ 14.  Portage  Lake,  Onekama 155 

15.  Tube  mill 173 

“ 16.  Apparatus  for  filtering  bicarbonate  soluiion 201 

17.  Treadwell  and  Reuter’s  apparatus 203 

18.  Bottle 204 

19.  Isotherms  and  ground  water  temperatures  of  Michigan  216 

“ 20.  Precipitated  crystals 219 

• 21.  Plat  of  Raffelee  Lake 273 

“ 22.  Plat  of  Runyan  Lake 274 

“ 23.  Plat  of  Mud  Lake 275 

“ 24.  Plat  of  Warren  and  adjacent  lakes 276 

“ 25.  Plat  of  Bush  Lake 277 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  xi 

Page 

. 26  Sketch  map  of  Grass  Lake,  Zenith  P.  C.  Co 284 

27.  Sketch  map  of  Lakelands,  Standard  P.  C.  Co 289 

28.  Table  of  soundings  of  Standiford  P.  C.  Co 303 

29.  Table  of  analyses  of  Standiford  P.  C.  Co 304 

30.  Table  of  analyses  continued 305 

31.  Sketch  map  of  Cedar  Lake  and  adjacent  marl  beds 323 

32.  Section  of  marl  deposit  near  Houghton 341 

33.  Apparatus  for  determining  the  strength  of  mortars 355 

34.  Figures  illustrating  cement  tests 356 

35.  Vieat  needle,  as  originally  designed 356 

36.  Modern  form  of  Vieat  needle  and  other  testing  apparatus 365 

37.  Tanks  for  the  preservation  of  briquettes 370 

38.  Olsen  Testing  Machine,  hand  driven 371 

39.  The  same,  power  driven 372 

40.  Fairbanks  testing  machine 373 

41.  Riehle  testing  machine 374 

42.  Result  of  tests  of  constancy  of  volume 376 

43.  The  same,  “pat  tests” 376 

44.  Diagram  illustrating  the  relative  strength  of  cement  at  various  epochs 383 


ERRATA. 


Page  190,  line  18,  for  Cederburg  read  Cederberg. 
Page  277,  the  figure  25  is  inverted. 


CHAPTEE  I. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  grayish  mud  underlying  our  lakes  and  marshes  has  but  very 
recently  become  one  of  the  greatest  resources  of  our  state.  On 
account  of  its  position,  being  covered  in  most  part  by  water  or 
muck,  it  is  not  often  seen  and  few  people  are  familiar  with  its 
name  or  appearance. 

Factory  men  have,  however,  after  having  become  aware  of  its 
presence  in  such  quantities  in  the  state,  made  good  use  of  it  as  a 
raw  material  for  the  manufacture  of  the  best  Portland  Cement. 
A factory  was  started  at  Kalamazoo  in  1872  (a  description  of  its 
marl  bed  is  found  in  Ch.  Y,  Sec.  1).  Here  the  old  set  or  dry  kiln 
process  proved  too  costly  and  the  site  was  abandoned.  The  first 
successful  factories  were  started  at  Bronson  and  Union  City.  At 
the  former  place  the  marl  was  discovered  by  a section  foreman 
who  was  sinking  piles  to  support  a railroad  bridge  which  was  to 
span  the  creek  draining  the  deposit.  The  Bronson  works  use  the 
Ransome  rotary  kiln  wet  process  and  the  Union  City  factory,  which 
first  used  the  older  style  set  kiln,  are  also  adopting  the  wet  process. 

These  plants  have  proved  very  successful  and  the  interest  among 
capitalists  and  landowners  throughout  the  State  has  been  intense 
to  know  more  about  the  industry  and  how  to  gauge  the  true  value 
of  marl  lands. 

It  will  not  be  possible  in  the  following  pages  to  describe  the  raw 
material  marl  and  its  factory  requisites  so  that  any  one  may  at 
once  identify  his  marl  bed  as  either  worthless  or  specially  fitted 
for  cement  manufacture.  This  comes  only  with  the  examination 
of  many  beds  and  the  correct  summing  up  of  numberless  possibili- 
ties all  of  which  cannot  be  so  minutely  described  as  to  be  foreseen. 
The  work  of  deciding  on  the  final  merits  of  a bed  should  be  left 
where  it  belongs,  with  a specialist.  The  writer  will  then  be  satis- 
fied if,  from  reading  the  following  pages,  landowners  and  amateur 


o 


MABL. 


prospectors  can  form  a clear  idea  of  what  commercial  marl  is,  how 
to  go  about  prospecting  for  it,  and  how  to  decide  correctly  whether 
a given  bed  warrants  a thorough  examination  for  factory  purposes. 

Chapter  II  touches  lightly  upon  other  uses  of  marl.  Much  may 
be  found  in  the  early  State  and  United  States  reports  concerning 
these  uses. 

Chapter  III  discusses  the  adaptability  of  marl  to  cement  manu- 
facture. 

In  Chapter  IY  it  is  intended  to  give  a description  of  as  many 
views  as  possible  of  the  origin  of  marl  in  the  hope  that  there  may 
be  something  of  truth  in  one  or  all.  Aside  from  its  prime  interest 
from  a scientific  point  of  view  this  chapter  should  afford  some  clue 
as  to  the  location  of  marl  beds  and  assist  in  their  discovery  by  the 
explorer. 

Chapter  VII  is  intended  to  show  both  the  magnitude  of  the  cost 
and  the  numberless  details  to  be  calculated  to  a nicety  by  any 
individual  or  company  embarking  in  the  enterprise  of  cement  manu- 
facture. 

Chapter  VI  gives  many  details  which  it  is  hoped  will  be  useful 
to  any  one  interested  in  the  subject  and  shows  somewhat  the  varia- 
tion in  mode  of  occurrence. 

Credit  is  due  to  A.  C.  Lane,  State  Geologist,  for  his  advice  and 
assistance  in  the  work  throughout,  also  to  Lathbury  & Spackman 
of  Philadelphia  for  their  article  and  cuts  of  machinery.  I also  wish 
to  tender  thanks  to  the  many  men  throughout  the  State  who  have 
assisted  me  in  sounding  beds  and  aided  me  with  timely  information. 

Assistance  was  given  to  Prof.  I.  C.  Russell  in  the  preparation  of 
his  report  on  the  Portland  Cement  Industry  of  the  State,  in  the 
Twenty-second  Annual  Report  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey, 
which  he  has  therein  acknowledged,  but  his  report  did  not  come 
to  hand  until  this  report  was  being  read  in  page  proof,  so  that  we 
are  not  able  to  incorporate  all  the  additional  valuable  information 
therein  contained. 


CHAPTER  II. 


USES  OF  MAKE. 


§ 1.  Quicklime. 

Marl  has  long  been  known  in  this  State  for  its  use  in  many  dif- 
ferent ways.*  On  the  shore  of  many  marl  lakes  there  are  to  be 
found  the  remains  of  old  lime  kilns.  These  were  erected  for  the 
purpose  of  burning  the  marl  to  lime.  By  a slow  fire  from  beneath 
the  organic  matter  was  partly  burned  out  and  the  carbon  dioxide 
was  driven  off,  leaving  a fairly  pure  calcium  oxide  or  the  ordinary 
quicklime.  Many  log  houses  are  still  standing  which  were  built 
with  mortar  of  this  kind  or  even  with  the  unburned  marl  itself. 
But  on  a large  scale  this  proved  too  costly  a process  compared  with 
that  later  employed,  wdiich  is  the  burning  of  limestone  for  lime. 
The  reason  for  the  greater  costliness  of  the  marl  method  is  that 
the  marl  is  really  too  bulky  to  handle  with  profit,  for  after  the 
water  is  driven  off  there  remains  but  little  over  half  the  original 
bulk  as  dry  marl.  From  ten  to  fifty  per  cent  of  what  remained 
after  drying  would  then  be  burned  as  organic  matter,  implying  a 
further  shrinkage.  On  the  other  hand  the  limestone  is  more  com- 
pact, has  as  a rule  less  organic  matter,  and  is  drier  so  that  there  is 
not  the  immense  waste  of  fuel  in  driving  off  the  water  in  the  form 
of  steam  before  the  actual  work  of  burning  takes  place.  For  these 
sufficient  reasons  limestone  has  taken  the  place  entirely  of  marl  as  a 
raw  material  for  the  production  of  commercial  lime. 

§ 2.  Fertilizer. 

Marl  is  used  widely  as  a fertilizer.  New  Jersey  marl  is  very 
much  more  useful  than  ours  on  account  of  its  valuable  content  of 
phosphorus.  As  the  marl  of  Michigan  contains  little  besides  cal- 
cium and  magnesium  carbonates  it  has  scarcely  a commercial  value 
for  this  purpose  as  the  cost  of  transportation  to  any  distance  would 
easily  exceed  the  value  of  the  benefit  derived  from  it  as  a fertilizer. 


*Winchell,  1860,  p.  131.  See  also  Houghton’s  reports,  1838,  p.  34;  1839,  1840,  p.  94,  etc. 


4 


MARL. 


Its  real  value,  however,  when  in  close  proximity  to  the  land  upon 
which  it  is  to  be  used,  is  often  underestimated.  Many  beds  of  marl 
in  this  State  were  visited  which  lay  very  near  to  land  which  they 
would  enrich,  upon  a judicious  application,  and  the  benefit  to  be 
derived  from  such  application  would  have  been  greater  than  that 
from  application  to  factory  purposes.  If  marl  is  dug  and  allowed 
to  lie  over  winter  till  it  has  been  exposed  to  freezing  and  thawing, 
its  lumpy  tendency  will  be  overcome  and  if  then  spread  on  a tough 
clay  it  will  break  it  up  and  make  it  more  easily  cultivated.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  it  is  to  be  applied  to  a coarse  sand  it  will  fill  up 
the  interstices  of  the  coarser  soil,  rendering  it  able  better  to  hold 
moisture  and  retaining  humus  which  would,  if  allowed,  accumulate,, 
as  well  as  other  fertilizers  which  may  be  added.  The  chemical 
effect  of  marl  is  not  described  minutely,  as  much  may  be 
found  written  elsewhere  on  the  subject.  The  effect,  though  slow 
in  making  itself  felt,  is  very  beneficial,  as  the  lime  of  the  marl 
gradually  makes  soluble  for  the  plant  the  otherwise  insoluble  con- 
stituents of  the  soil.  It  must  not,  therefore,  be  taken  for  granted 
that,  because  a marl  bed  does  not  prove  fit  for  the  manufacture  of 
Portland  Cement,  it  is  altogether  useless  to  an  agricultural 
community.  Despite  the  amount  of  time  and  trouble  so  far 
devoted  to  the  explanation  of  its  value  as  a fertilizer  its  use  for 
this  purpose  is  not  fully  understood  or  taken  advantage  of. 

§ 3.  Minor  uses. 

There  are  several  other  uses  for  marl  which  cause  but  little  de- 
mand. It  is  often  used  in  tooth  and  scouring  powder  and  as  adul- 
terant for  paints.  As  these  uses  on  account  of  the  very  small  de- 
mand they  could  create  for  marl  are  of  scarcely  any  commercial 
importance  it  is  proper  to  pass  on  to  its  prime  use  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  Portland  Cement. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE. 

§ 1.  Description. 

The  name  “marl”  is  often  heard  but  not  with  the  precise  mean- 
ing in  which  it  is  used  in  Michigan.  It  is  a somewhat  general 
name  applied  in  different  parts  of  the  country  to  substances  which 
differ  in  appearance  and  characteristics.  Descriptions  are  given 
in  the  United  States  Geological  Reports  of  extensive  deposits  of 
“marl”  or  “green  sand”  in  New  Jersey.  These  deposits  occur  in  a 
distinct  geological  formation  and  contain  the  remains  of  animals 
and  hence  are  rich  in  phosphates.  They  are  called  “green  sands” 
from  their  color  and  are  much  prized  on  account  of  their  phosphorus 
as  fertilizers.  The  marls  in  North  and  South  Carolina  cover  some 
two  thousand  miles  area  and  like  the  New  Jersey  marl  belong  to 
a different  geological  era  from  ours.  Another  meaning  of  marl 
which  more  easily  fits  the  term  as  used  in  Michigan  is  the  name 
marl  as  applied  to  calcareous  clays.  In  this  sense  of  the  word, 
however,  half  of  Michigan  could  be  called  marl,  for  the  light  colored 
clays  which  form  half  our  clay  banks  are  calcareous  or  very  rich  in 
calcium  carbonate.  The  indefinite  or  uncertain  meaning  of  the 
term  “marl”  is  very  well  illustrated  by  the  definition  as  given  in 
our  dictionaries.  “A  deposit  of  amorphous  calcium  carbonate, 
clay,  and  sand  in  various  proportions  characterized  usually  by  the 
most  prominent  ingredient;  as  clay-marl;  shell-marl,  a valuable 
fertilizer;  green  sand  marl,  a valuable  mixture  of  green  sand  and 
clay.” 

The  first  step  in  the  study  of  Michigan  “marl”*  should  be  to  dis- 
tinguish it  carefully  from  the  marls  of  other  localities  and  from 
other  formations  closely  allied  to  it  in  appearance  and  chemical 
composition.  First  of  all  our  marl  is  nearly  a pure  “amorphous 
calcium  carbonate.”  This  is  likewise  true  of  several  other  similar 


♦More  properly  bog  lime.  L. 


6 


MARL. 


compounds.  An  amorphous  calcium  carbonate  is  a mineral  com- 
pound, calcium  carbonate,  the  particles  of  which  appear  not  to 
exist  in  a crystalline  form.*  Chalk  is  an  amorphous  carbonate  as 
well  as  limestone.  The  composition  of  pure  marl,  chalk,  and  lime- 
stone agree  very  closely,  but  they  differ  much  in  the  tenacity 
with  which  the  individual  particles  cohere  and  in  their  con- 
tent of  moisture.  Our  marl  as  now  considered  is  much  like 
the  other  two  in  color  and  grain,  but  is  more  bulky  and  usually 
contains  more  organic  matter.  On  the  other  hand  a very  good 
example  of  a calcium  carbonate  which  is  not  amorphous,  but  is 
crystalline,  is  marble.  This  has  undergone  changes  which  have 
made  its  molecules  very  tenacious  of  one  another  so  that  if  would 
be  too  expensive  to  grind  it  into  powder  for  the  manufacture  of 
cement  as  in  the  case  of  the  materials  before  mentioned.  The 
marl  then,  closely  resembles  in  composition  chalk  and  limestone 
and  lacks  with  them  the  crystalline  formation  of  marble,*  although 
the  last  is  a calcium  carbonate.  The  four  materials  of  like  com- 
position decrease  in  the  tenacity  with  which  their  particles 
cohere  in  the  following  order;  marble,  limestone,  chalk,  marl.. 
The  last  named,  our  own  raw  material,  is  then  the  most  easily 
ground  and,  in  that  respect  at  least,  much  the  easiest  to  pulverize 
for  intimate  mixture  with  clay  in  the  manufacture  of  Portland 
Cement. 

The  marl  of  our  State  should  also  be  distinguished  clearly,  not 
only  from  kindred  materials,  but  also  from  other  materials  bearing 
the  same  name.  It  was  above  mentioned  that  the  New  Jersey  and 
Carolina  marls  belonged  to  a distinct  former  geological  period. 
Our  own  deposits  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained  are  distinctly  of  the 
present  time  and  occur  in  an  area  limited  by  the  former  extent  of 
the  ice-sheet.  They  extend  about  the  Great  Lakes,  being  found  in 
Wisconsin  and  both  peninsulas  of  Michigan,  extending  northward 
into  Canada  and  southward  into  Indiana  and  Illinois.  It  is  not  a 
continuous  bed,  but  lies  only  in  the  deep  pockets  or  holes  and  old 
drainage  valleys  left  by  the  glaciers.  As  so  far  seen  it  has  never 
been  covered  by  over  thirty  or  forty  feet  of  modern  drift. 

Before  it  is  studied  further  as  definite  a description  as  possible 
should  be  given  of  its  appearance  and  composition  with  variations 
carefully  noted  so  that  it  may  be  easily  and  certainly  identified. 


*But  see  notes  on  microstructure  in  the  last  chapter. 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  7 


It  is  often  mixed  with  clay  and  the  combination,  a calcareous  clay, 
is  termed  “marl.”  This  usage  does  not  give  the  meaning  of  marl 
as  it  is  now  used  in  Michigan  in  the  cement  industry,*  but  con- 
fuses it  with  clay  with  which  it  should  be  sharply  contrasted. 
Again  marl  is  found  either  mixed  with  sand,  organic  matter,  or 
shells,  to  such  an  extent  that  its  own  characteristics  are  not  clearly 
shown.  It  will  therefore  here  be  described  as  it  exists  in  a fairly 
pure  condition. 

First  it  is  found  under  lakes  or  swamps  in  the  form  of  a mud 
consisting  of  from  25$  to  50$  moisture.  In  this  condition  it  may 
appear  dark  gray,  about  the  color  of  wood  ashes,  or  nearly  white. 
Upon  drying  it  becomes  much  lighter  in  color.  It  coheres  slightly 
and  upon  drying  lumps  much  as  does  clay,  but  upon  weathering 
breaks  down  into  a friable  mass.  A very  pure  marl  tastes  much 
like  chalk  and  often  has  a more  granular  appearance  than  the 
darker  samples.  As  compared  with  the  clay  which  is  often  found 
in  its  neighborhood  it  is  much  lighter  bulk  for  bulk,  and  if  each  is 
stirred  up  in  water  the  marl  water  clears  much  more  quickly  as  its 
granular  nature  causes  it  to  deposit  first,  while  on  the  other  hand, 
the  particles  of  clay  remain  suspended  in  the  water  for  some  time 
before  complete  sedimentation  takes  place  and  the  water  becomes 
clear.  Also  upon  the  addition  of  an  acid  to  two  samples,  one  of 
marl  and  one  of  clay,  the  former  will  effervesce  with  formation 
of  gas  much  more  freely  than  the  latter.  The  easiest  way  to  dis- 
tinguish marl  from  sand  is  by  detecting  the  presence  of  grit.  The 
particles  of  marl  crumble  easily  upon  compressing  between  the 
thumb  and  finger  while  fine  sand  feels  hard.  Shells,  or  their  re- 
mains, are  easily  distinguished  by  their  form  and  usually  though 
not  always  form  a greater  or  lesser  portion  of  the  marl.  The 
greatest  adulterant  of  marl,  always  forming  at  any  rate  a part  of 
it,  is  organic  matter.  Its  proportion  can  be  roughly  estimated  by 
color  of  the  mixture, — the  darker  the  sample,  the  greater  the  per- 
centage of  organic  matter.  This  may  be  sometimes  so  large  that 
the  marl  becomes  practically  a muck  or  so  small  that  it  scarcely 
affects  the  pure  white  of  the  calcium  carbonate. 

As  the  contamination  and  consequent  variation  in  appearance 
of  marl  is  important  to  both  manufacturer  and  scientist,  its  cause 
should  be  thoroughly  understood.  As  stated  in  the  definition,  an 

♦Though  correct  enough  in  itself.  The  Michigan  “marl”  is  more  properly  bog 
lime.  L. 


8 


MARL. 


impure  marl  derives  its  name  from  the  impurity  which  predomi- 
nates. It  has  been  stated  briefly  how  to  distinguish  the  true  marl 
from  each  of  its  impurities  when  the  marl  and  its  adulterant  exist 
as  separate  samples.  Sand,  clay  and  organic  matter  are  not  only 
found  near  the  marl,  but  intimately  mixed  with  it.  The  following 
analyses  are  those  of  three  samples  of  so  called  marl  taken  from 
the  same  chain  of  lakes. 


Insoluble. 

Aluminum  and 
Iron  Oxides. 

Calcium  Carbonate. 

Magnesium  Carbonate. 

Organic 

matter. 

<1) 

75.04 

1.90 

14.02 

6.05 

2.99 

(2) 

57.04 

4.30 

22.06 

12.45 

4.15 

<3) 

15.14 

13.73 

43.13 

1.66 

26.34 

The  measure  of  purity  in  each  of  the  above  samples  must  be 
found  in  the  column  under  calcium  carbonate.  It  is  readily  seen 
that  all  are  very  low  and  that  each  sample  is  very  impure.  The 
impurity  in  each  case  is,  however,  due  to  a different  cause.  No.  1 
was  largely  sand,  and  in  confirmation,  notice  the  high  per  cent  of 
“insoluble.”  Though  of  a marly  nature  it  is  full  of  grit,  as  could 
easily  be  detected  by  the  touch.  No.  2 is  largely  clay  and  has  also 
a high  “insoluble.”  It  has  besides  nearly  twice  the  magnesium 
carbonate  of  No.  1.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  clays  laid  down  at 
the  same  level  as  marls  nearly  always  have  a high  per  cent  of 
magnesium  carbonate  as  well  as  calcium  carbonate,  which  increases 
the  proportion  of  the  former  as  compared  with  the  percentage  in 
true  marl.  No.  3 shows  a more  even  distribution  of  the  different 
impurities,  but  organic  matter  predominates.  This  appeared  as  a 
dark  grayish  muck  and  resembled  but  slightly  a pure  marl.  It 
contains  also  13.73$  of  iron  and  aluminum  oxides  so  that  it  in- 
clines somewhat  toward  a bog  iron.  It  was  found  fifty  feet  under 
water. 

In  all  of  the  above  samples  the  marl  has  partly  lost  its  identity, 
becoming  in  the  several  instances,  a marly  sand,  a marly  clay,  and 
a marly  muck.  A careful  examination  of  the  color,  grittiness, 
weight  and  effect  of  acid  will  soon  reveal  the  true  nature  of  the 
mixture  and  to  what  ingredient  the  contamination  is  due. 

Fortunately  for  the  factory  interests  of  the  State,  marl  is  not 
often  subject  to  such  great  variation  in  appearance  and  composi- 
tion, but  has  somewhat  definite  characteristics  of  its  own.  Its 


THE  USE  OF  MAIiL  FOE  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  9 

exact  chemical  nature  together  with  its  factory  requisites  will  be 
considered  in  the  final  section  in  this  chapter.  All  that  will  help 
the  prospector  to  identify  it  on  the  ground  is  to  know  that  it  is 
generally  somewhat  granular  in  appearance,  in  color  varying  from 
that  of  dark  ashes  to  dirty  flour,  is  sticky  and  sometimes  even  soapy 
and  greasy  to  the  touch,  and  is  distinguished  from  clay  by  its 
greater  bulk  and  granular  nature,  from  sand  by  the  absence  of 
grit  (it  usually  contains  a trace  at  least  of  quartz  sand  or  diatom- 
aceous  silica),  and  from  organic  matter  by  its  lighter  color. 

§ 2.  General  distribution. 

The  physical  appearance  of  Michigan  is  necessarily  of  much  inter- 
est to  the  prospector.  Glacial  action  in  past  ages  diversified  the 
surface  of  the  State  and  has  left  it  ridged  and  hollowed  thoroughly. 
Whatever  may  be  taken  as  the  agent  of  marl  deposition,  it  is  certain 
that  these  glacial  valleys  furnish  the  most  favorable  conditions  for 
its  existence  and  are  its  most  usual  resting  place  and  that  the 
present  drainage  furnishes  the  direct  cause  for  its  impurities. 

§ 3.  Prospecting  tools. 

The  first  thing  necessary  in  prospecting  is  to  get  tools  to  work 
with.  Several  machines  have  been  patented  for  the  purpose,  but 
as  an  owner  usually  wishes  to  sound  only  his  own  locality,  the 
simpler  and  less  costly  the  apparatus,  the  better. 

The  following  is  the  description  of  a very  simple  outfit  which 
is  all  that  is  necessary  in  the  majority  of  beds.  It  must,  however, 
be  manipulated  with  care  to  obtain  strictly  trustworthy  results. 

1.  Weld  an  ordinary  two  inch  augur  on  a three-eighths  inch  gas 
pipe  two  feet  long. 

2.  Thread  the  unwelded  end  of  the  pipe  for  coupling. 

3.  Cut  three  lengths  of  pipe  each  in  half,  or  cut  each  into  four 
equal  lengths  if  it  is  desired  to  carry  the  outfit  long  distances. 
Thread  the  ends  of  the  pipe  for  coupling. 

4.  Get  couplings  enough  to  couple  all  together  making  a con- 
tinuous rod  with  an  augur  attached. 

5.  A “T”  coupling  must  be  inserted  on  the  rod  farthest  from  the 
augur  and  through  this  a rod  or  stick  can  be  passed  to  turn  the 
rod.  A better  way  is  to  screw  into  each  free  end  of  the  “T,”  a rod 
or  a piece  of  gas  pipe  eighteen  inches  long.  This  makes  a handle 
to  the  augur  that  can  be  inserted  at  any  distance  from  the  end. 
Usually  a pair  of  Stillson  wrenches  are  needed  to  untwist  the  pipe, 
which  becomes  very  tightly  connected  during  the  boring. 

2-Pt.  Ill 


10 


MARL. 


Three-eighths  inch  pipe  will  be  found  to  lift  out  much  easier  than 
half-inch,  but  will  not  stand  boring  to  a great  depth.  If  three- 
sixteenth  inch  is  used  it  is  liable  to  kink  badly  when  sunk  to  any 
depth.  On  the  other  hand  inch  pipe  cannot  be  thought  of  for  the 
purpose  as  it  would  take  a jack  screw  to  lift  the  rod  out.  In  the 
use  of  any  size  pipe  or  any  style  of  sounding  implement  it  must 
always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  quicker  the  work  of  sinking  the 
rod,  securing  the  specimen,  and  raising  it  is  performed,  the  easier 
the  work  can  be  done.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the  marl  con- 
sists of  finely  divided  particles  partly  suspended  in  water,  making 
a mud.  When  the  rod  shoves  aside  these  particles  it  takes  them 
but  a short  time  to  pack  around  it.  If  it  is  withdrawn  quickly 
before  the  particles  assume  their  new  position,  about  half  the 
friction  of  marl  against  pipe  is  avoided  and  the  work  of  withdrawal 
much  lessened. 

This  is  the  simplest  and  most  easily  prepared  and  also  the  cheap- 
est means  of  reaching  the  marl.  Care  must  be  taken  to  bore,  twist- 
ing the  handle  as  the  rod  is  shoved  down.  It  can  generally  be 
shoved  through  the  mud  with  application  of  but  little  force,  but  if 
this  is  done  the  pod  of  the  augur  will  remain  filled  with  the  surface 
marl  which  is  first  encountered  in  its  descent  and  will  bring  that 
same  marl  to  the  surface  again  instead  of  filling  with  that  at  the 
bottom.  Also  the  couplings  must  be  very  firmly  started  when  each 
new  length  of  pipe  is  added  as  the  rod  penetrates  the  marl.  Many 
outfits  are  lost  by  the  neglect  of  this  little  precaution.  There  is  no 
reason  why  this  simple  apparatus  should  not  do  good  work  in  most 
of  the  marl  beds  of  the  State.  It  can  be  made  to  penetrate  a marl 
of  medium  consistency  with  considerable  ease,  requiring  two  or 
three  men  to  run  it.  When  the  augur  strikes  sand  at  the  bottom 
of  the  bed  or  in  its  course  downward  it  can  generally  be  detected 
by  the  peculiar  grating  sound  and  jar  of  the  pipe  in  the  hands  of 
the  operator.  When  it  strikes  clay  the  increased  difficulty  of  bor- 
ing is  at  once  made  manifest  and  it  is  well  to  immediately  hoist 
the  rod,  as  after  boring  a short  time  in  the  clay  beneath  the  marl 
the  apparatus  will  be  freed  with  great  difficulty.  In  deep  borings 
care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  rod  moving  if  possible,  either  up  or 
down,  as  its  recovery  is  easier. 

This  apparatus  suffices  for  a fairly  dense  marl  because  the  augur 
will  clear  itself  of  the  surface  drift  on  the  way  down  and  will  retain 
fairly  well  the  clean  sample  taken  at  the  bottom.  It  will  not, 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  11 


however,  take  true  samples  where  the  grass  or  roots  are  very  thick 
at  the  top  and  the  marl  is  so  fluid  as  not  to  be  retained  readily  on 
the  pod  of  the  augur.  In  beds  of  this  nature  a different  device  will 
be  required  to  obtain  samples  which  will  give  a trustworthy  idea 
of  the  center  of  the  bed.  A rather  clumsy  but  efficient  device  has 
been  used  (Fig.  1),  which  is  a remodelling  of  that  used  by  Mr.  Farr 
of  Onekama. 


; i ; ; 

k- ir9»t  -.«.***«  - -V  ^'4  '£  - 

Fig.  1.— Farr’s  Liquid  Marl  sampler.  For  description  see  p.  11. 


1.  Cut  a piece  of  inch  gas  pipe  two  feet  length. 

2.  Thread  one  end  of  the  same. 

3.  Screw  reducers  on  the  threaded  end  till  the  last  reducer  can 
take  a half  or  three-eighths  inch  pipe. 

4.  If  no  time  and  materials  are  at  hand  to  make  a disk  to  close 

one  end  of  the  large  pipe  the  following  effective  but  clumsy  device 
may  be  used:  Upon  the  end  threaded  according  to  direction,  screw 

three-eighths  inch  pipe  of  any  desired  length  to  form  the  rod. 

5.  Sharpen  the  open  edge  of  the  inch  pipe  and  fit  into  it  a plug 
with  a shoulder  that  fits  against  the  rim,  allowing  the  plug  to 
penetrate  a half  inch  into  the  open  end  of  the  inch  pipe. 

6.  Sharpen  the  end  of  the  plug  opposite  the  shoulder  and  bore 
a hole  lengthwise  through  the  plug. 

7.  Pass  a three-sixteenths  inch  iron  rod  through  the  plug  from 
the  shoulder  end  and  bolt  it  by  screwing  a nut  upon  the  end  opposite 
the  shoulder,  which  end  should  be  sharpened  so  as  to  more  easily 
penetrate  the  marl. 

The  end  of  the  rod  may  be  threaded  for  several  inches  and  a nut 
first  screwed  on,  then  the  end  of  the  rod  passed  through  the  plug 
and  the  nut  on  the  end  screwed  tight  against  the  plug.  This  will 
hold  the  plug  from  being  shoved  up  the  rod  by  the  force  of  the 
thrust  against  the  marl,  and  the  nut  on  the  end  will  prevent  the 
plug  being  pulled  from  the  rod. 

The  rod  with  the  plug  securely  fastened  on  the  end  is  then  in- 
serted in  the  open  end  of  the  cylinder  formed  by  the  inch  pipe  and 
is  passed  up  through  that  and  the  three-eighths  inch  pipe  which  has 
already  been  screwed  to  the  upper  end  of  the  inch  pipe.  The  free 
end  of  the  rod  may  project  through  the  pipe  at  the  upper  end. 


12 


MARL. 


When  placed  in  the  water  the  apparatus  is  in  the  form  of  a long 
rod  of  three-eighths  inch  piping,  at  the  lower  end  of  which  is  a 
cylinder  of  inch  pipe.  The  lower  end  of  this  is  closed  by  the  plug 
which  fits  easily  against  the  lower  end  of  the  cylinder  by  the 
shoulder  already  described.  This  plug  is  manipulated  by  means  of 
the  iron  rod  to  which  it  is  firmly  bolted,  which  runs  up  through  the 
hollow  rod  to  the  operator  above. 

Method  of  Operating. 

The  plug  is  first  held  firmly  against  the  mouth  of  the  cylinder 
by  means  of  the  rod.  The  whole  apparatus  is  then  shoved  down 
the  desired  length.  The  pipe  is  then  raised,  the  rod  being  held 
stationary  and  after  raising  the  rod  is  then  shoved  down  to  its 
former  level,  being  shoved  tightly  against  the  shoulder  of  the  plug. 
In  this  position  both  are  then  raised  to  the  surface,  the  plug  shoved 
out  by  means  of  the  rod,  and  the  sample  taken  from  the  cylinder. 
This  takes  a perfect  sample  to  a depth  of  about  18  feet  and  can  be 
rigged  in  a short  time  at  any  good  hardware  store.  It  is  cumber- 
some on  account  of  handling  the  long  iron  rod,  but  is  perfect  and 
very  trustworthy  for  any  marl  not  too  solid  to  be  penetrated  by  this 
means.  The  plug  keeps  all  grass,  roots,  silt  and  foreign  matter 
from  the  cylinder  while  it  travels  downward,  and  after  the  sample 
is  taken,  the  plug  being  again  shoved  against  the  mouth  of  the 
cylinder,  excludes  all  foreign  matter  during  the  ascent  of  the 
sample. 

A slot  could  be  devised  to  close  the  mouth  of  the  cylinder,  and 
divide  it  into  two  halves.  This  could  be  made  to  rotate  when  the 
cylinder  was  at  the  desired  depth  and  allow  the  marl  to  enter,  and 
then  being  rotated  half  around  again,  could  close  the  orifice  while 
the  rod  ascended.  This  is  not  a contrivance  that  could  be  fitted  out 
in  a few  minutes,  but  when  once  made  would  be  much  less  cumber- 
some as  dispensing  with  the  iron  rod.  This  apparatus  is  easily 
made  and  can  be  relied  upon  to  give  perfectly  satisfactory  results. 

One  other  must  be  mentioned  and  that  is  one  invented  and  manu- 
factured by  Robert  G.  Hunt  & Co.,  Chicago,  111.  It  consists  of  a 
piece  of  steel  about  18  feet  long  and  much  the  shape  of  the  half 
of  a long  gun  barrel  slit  longitudinally.  The  end  which  first  enters 
the  marl  is  capped  and  pointed  with  steel  so  that  it  will  penetrate 
more  easily,  and  the  other  is  surmounted  with  a handle  for  raising. 
The  two  edges  running  lengthwise  are  sharp  so  as  to  cut  the  marl. 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE . 13 


When  the  instrument  has  been  shoved  to  the  depth  desired  it  is 
turned  half  around,  filling  it  with  a clean  swath  of  marl  its  whole 
length.  When  it  is  withdrawn  there  is  a perfect  sample  of  the  bed 
from  top  to  bottom  and  any  portion  of  it  can  be  sampled  if  desired. 
It  is  not  suitable  for  liquid  marl  as  the  sample  would  run  out  be- 
fore the  apparatus  could  be  raised  to  the  surface.  A device  for 
very  fluid  marls  will  be  found  described  in  the  account  of  the 
operations  at  Cloverdale. 

§ 4.  Location  of  marl. 

With  a general  idea  of  its  location  and  the  means  at  hand  for 
sounding,  the  question  next  presents  itself,  “Where  is  it  most 
likely  to  be  found?”  As  has  been  said,  marl  is  found  in  the  hollows 
or  glacial  valleys  that  scar  all  parts  of  our  State.  Its  more  definite 


location  is  a puzzling  and  interesting  study.  The  facts  so  far 
ascertained  will  here  be  given,  but  the  theory  of  its  origin  which 
they  seem  to  sustain  will  be  given  in  Chapter  IV. 

1.  Marl  is  always  found  in  some  place  that  was  originally  covered 
with  water.*  The  water  level  of  Michigan  has  fallen  within  recent 
years  so  that  the  old  water  lines  of  lakes  can  be  easily  traced  even 
by  the  casual  observer.  The  marl  therefore  is  not  confined  to  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  present  existing  bodies  of  water.  It  under- 
lies dried  up  swamps  sometimes  a thousand  acres  in  extent  and  the 
banks  of  what  now  appear  small  streams  are  solid  marl.  However, 

^Somewhat  similar  subaerial  deposits  are  known  as  calcareous  tufa  or  traver- 
tine. L.  i , , 


14 


MARL. 


upon  noticing  the  comparative  depth  and  altered  course  of  such  a 
stream,  and  its  source  when  the  low  lands  through  which  it  flowed 
were  all  covered  with  water,  its  banks  often  prove  to  have  once  been 
the  bottom  of  a large  channel  or  lagoon.  Often,  also,  a large 
swamp  can  be  easily  identified  as  the  bottom  of  a large  dried  up 
lake. 

2.  The  next  point  of  interest  is  that  the  water  above  marl  is 


Fig.  3.  — Map  of  Cloverdale  district.  By  a mistake  the  r in  Guernsey  is  omitted.  Sec.  18. 

The  lake  on  Sec.  22,  is  properly  Balker  or  Horseshoe  Lake,  the  name  given  being  an  error 
in  the  county  atlas. 

usually  hard,  containing  first  of  all  calcium  and  magnesium  car- 
bonates in  fairly  large  proportions.*  In  the  Cloverdale  region 
(Fig.  3,  Chap.  VI,  Sec.  2)  the  general  observation  of  people  living 
about  the  lakes  wras  that  the  rharl  is  found  in  a hard  water  lake, 
but  not  in  one  containing  soft  water.  A half  day’s  sounding  in 
Mud  or  Round  Lake  yielded  but  one  sample  of  very  organic  marl  a 
few  feet  in  depth  and  lying  in  mid-lake  under  ten  feet  of  silt.  This 
was  a lake  with  very  soft  water  while  the  water  of  one  a few^  hun- 


*See  analysis  of  water  in  description  of  Peninsular  plant.  L. 


THE  USE  OF  MAUL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  15 


dred  feet  from  it,  which  contained  20  to  30  feet  of  marl,  was  hard. 
Little  Lake  (Chap.  V,  Sec.  7)  contained  nothing  but  silt  and  did  not 
even  respond  to  the  hard  water  test. 

3.  A fact  closely  connected  with  the  foregoing  is  that  hard  water 
springs  are  everywhere  found  in  close  connection  with  marl  lakes. 
One  striking  example  of  the  converse  of  this  fact  was  noticed  at 
Escanaba.  There  both  springs  and  marl  were  said  to  be  absent, 
and  flowing  wells  were  tapped  only  at  great  depths,  though  the 
district  was  solid  limestone. 

4.  The  presence  of  wrater  and  its  hardness  both  being  somewhat 
related  to  the  presence  or  absence  of  marl  another  closely  related 
and  interesting  study  is  the  comparative  level  of  marl  lakes  and 
those  lakes  or  depressions  in  which  marl  is  absent.  As  there  could 
be  found  no  reliable  contour  maps  showing  the  levels  of  different 
points  in  Michigan  an  aneroid  barometer  was  tried,  but  it  was 
found  that  only  those  lakes  contiguous  to  each  other  could  be  at 
all  accurately  compared.  The  results  of  these  comparisons  agreed 
very  well  and  served  in  the  end  to  establish  a somewhat  general 
rule,  that  of  two  depressions,  the  one  most  deeply  indenting  the 
surface  of  the  land,  will  contain  the  marl.  It  is  also  true  that  the 
deeper  depression  will  contain  the  harder  water,  provided  it  cuts 
the  deeper  water  bearing  strata  of  subsoil.  This  conclusion  was 
very  often  verified  in  the  hilly  country  where  the  surface  is  deeply 
cut  by  streams  and  lakes.  It  is  also  quite  generally  the  rule  in 
comparing  adjacent  marshes  for  the  presence  of  marl.  Still  it 
must  be  considered  dangerous  to  conclude  that  a deep  depression 
always  forms  the  basin  for  the  hard  water  bearing  strata  about  it, 
as  these  same  strata  may  slant  away  from,  rather  than  toward  such 
a basin. 

No  general  rule  can  be  formed  which  will  guide  the  prospector 
unerringly  to  the  presence  of  marl.  As  the  marl  is  in  nearly  every 
case  covered  by  finely  deposited  sediment,  muck,  other  marsh 
growth,  or  water,  its  exact  location  and  depth  can  be  determined 
only  by  actual  soundings  made  through  its  covering.  Still  the 
guides  here  given  have  proved  rather  useful  in  the  absence  of  any 
other  helps  whatever,  and  as  simple  results  of  experience  must  not 
be  taken  as  fixed  rules. 

5.  In  a chain  of  lakes  the  marl  is  generally  deeper  and  of  better 
quality  in  the  lakes  toward  the  head  of  the  chain.  Where  the  head 
lake  lias  had  no  large  body  of  water  or  stream  other  than  a spring 


16 


MAUL. 


stream  opening  into  it,  the  marl  appears  of  purer  quality  and  with 
less  of  foreign  matter  overlying  it  than  do  any  of  the  lakes  below 
it.  In  two  of  the  chains  of  lakes  so  noticed  the  head  lake  formed 
the  first  of  the  series  and  so  lay  that  there  never  could  have  been 
any  other  natural  drainage  than  the  one  in  action  at  the  present 
time.  This  rule  works  well  in  the  case  of  a series  of  two  lakes, 
the  upper  one  of  which  is  fed  by  springs.  The  marl  lies  bare  and 
of  greater  depth  to  the  upper  end  of  the  upper  lake,  and  sediment 
above  the  marl,  if  it  occurs  in  large  quantity,  is  liable  to  be  in 
evidence  towrard  the  lower  end. 

6.  In  a large  lake  or  one  unevenly  and  thinly  underlain  wdth 
marl  the  deepest  marl  is  often  found  in  bayous  or  indentations  of 
the  shore-line.  In  such  cases  the  marl  generally  thins  very  rapidly 
to  the  deeper  portions  of  the  lake.* 

§ 5.  The  distribution  of  marl  in  a single  bed. 

In  the  consideration  of  this  subject  much  depends  upon  the  stage 
of  the  deposition  in  which  the  bed  to  be  sounded  exists  at  the 
time.  For  marl  beds  exist  in  two  different  states.  The  first  is  the 
dried  up  lake  or  marsh,  the  second,  the  hard  water  lake  wdiere  the 
marl  is  still  depositing. 

In  the  old  lake  bed  or  marsh  the  marl  deposit  is  basin  shaped. 
It  generally  has  one  or  more  centers  toward  which  the  marl  deepens 
regularly.  The  marl  has  evidently  deposited  as  long  as  water 
remained.  As  the  marl  reached  the  surface  or  the  wrater  dried 
down  to  the  surface  of  the  marl  or  both,  vegetation  started  upon 
the  shallowrs  and  sealed  the  deposit  over  very  evenly.  Where  the 
lake  bottom  proper  was  even  in  the  first  place,  the  marl  deposit  is 
very  regular.  This  w7as  shown  in  some  old  dried  up  lake  beds  of 
the  Upper  Peninsula  where  the  deposit  was  laid  down  evenly,  in- 
creasing from  the  outside  edge  twm  feet  in  depth,  to  the  center 
twenty-five  feet.  It  is  the  rule  and  not  the  exception  in  marshes 
entirely  covered  by  vegetation  and  containing  no  open  wrater,  but 
underlain  wTith  marl.  It  must  be  remembered  that  many  of  our 
inland  lakes  and  marshes  have  their  bottoms,  uneven  in  their  na- 
ture, cut  and  seamed  with  terraces,  kettles,  and  holes  left  by  reced- 
ing glaciers.  In  the  evening  or  blanketing  process  of  marl  deposit 
these  holes  are  leveled  over.  In  such  cases  the  depth  of  marl  can 
be  calculated  with  only  general  accuracy  and  the  above  rule  can 
scarcely  be  verified.  A fair  illustration  of  even  deposit  wrould  be 
that  at  Central  Lake  in  Antrim  County,  Plate  I.  See  also  Chapter 


*See  description  of  Onekama  Lake. 


Geological  Survey  of  Micliigan. 


Vol.  VIII.  Part  III.  Plate]  L 


MARL  SOUNDINGS,  1,  2,  3,  4,  11A,  11C. 


y?' 


! 


' 


■ 


■ 


THE  USE  OF  MAUL  FOE  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  IT 


VI,  §16.  An  illustration  of  uneven  deposit  or  better  uneven  depth 
caused  by  sudden  variation  of  contour  of  lake  bottom  would  be  the 
lakes  sounded  at  Cloverdale  (Plate  I,  Diagrams  1 to  4). 

It  is  very  often  the  case,  however,  that  the  marl  bed  does  not 
cover  the  whole  depression  formed  by  the  original  lake  bed  or  by 
the  marsh  as  it  appears  at  the  present  day.  In  such  a case  the 
main  body  of  the  marl  forms  a basin  of  its  own  which  is  liable  to 
lie  as  at  Portage  Lake,  Onekama  (Fig.  14),  in  an  indentation  or 
nook  of  the  greater  basin  forming  the  marsh.  It  may  or  may  not 
lie  near  the  deepest  portion  of  the  original  basin.  The  sealed  marl 
bed  is  on  the  whole  the  more  regular  in  its  increase  and  decrease 
in  depth,  and  is,  excepting  in  the  case  or  exception  of  an  uneven 
original  bottom,  regularly  deepest  toward  the  center  of  the  deposit. 

In  the  lake  where  the  deposit  is  still  continuing  or  just  being 
discontinued,  the  variation  in  depth  is  markedly  the  opposite. 

In  this  condition  the  lake  is  nearly  always  surrounded  by  a fringe 
of  shallows  containing  the  deepest  and  purest  marl.  In  deep  water 
the  marl  may  be  much  shallower,  may  cease  entirely  or  may  be  a 
marly  muck,  the  first  and  third  named  conditions  prevailing  in 
nearly  all  cases  in  deep  water. 

In  studying  this  second  condition  it  is  found  that  marl  forms 
most  rapidly  in  shallows  or  about  points.  This  was  strikingly  illus- 
trated at  Long  Lake,  near  Cloverdale.  This  was  being  cut  into 
two  different  bodies  of  water,  by  decrease  in  depth  of  water  and  at 
same  time  by  rapid  growth  of  marl,  which  was  33  feet  in  depth  in 
the  narrows  at  Ackers  Point.  Thus  Horseshoe  or  Balker  Lake  was 
being  cut  into  two  lobes  or  basins  and  the  marl  was  very  deep  at  the 
narrows  connecting  and  on  the  points  of  marl  growing  out  to  sep- 
arate the  lobes.  Nearly  every  actively  growing  marl  lake  represents 
three  stages  or  steps  of  growth,  the  shore  or  marsh  of  marl  bed 
grown  to  water  level  and  sealed  over  by  marsh  growth,  the  actively 
depositing  marl  of  the  fringing  shallows,  and  the  deeper  parts 
which  are  more  slowly  filling  up  with  a cruder  and  more  impure 
marl.  Eventually  the  fringe  of  shallows  will  grow  to  the  surface  or 
far  enough  for  rushes  to  catch  organic  matter  to  form  a solid  cover- 
ing of  growth.  As  the  center  of  the  lake  grows  shallower  with  in- 
creased depth  of  marl  the  marl  becomes  whiter  and  deposition  more 
active,  the  marl  fills  to  water  level  and  is  sealed  like  the  former 
fringe  of  shallows.  We  have  then  from  the  second  condition  a 
growth  to  the  first  condition,  a completed  and  preserved  marl  bed. 

3-Pt.  Ill 


18 


MARL. 


When  the  water  was  higher  during  the  deposit  of  the  shallows 
marl*  the  shore  marl  will  have  deposited  to  a higher  level  than  that 
in  mid-lake.  When  sounded  wre  often  say  that  the  “surface”  is 
deepest  at  the  center,  when  in  reality  the  marl  was  deposited  to  a 
second  lower  water  level  and  then  filled  in  with  marsh  growth  to 
nearly  the  level  of  the  shore  fringe  of  shallows.  In  such  a case  it  is 
noted  that  the  shallow  marl  is  of  much  finer  quality  because  it  was 
deposited  in  shallow  water  while  the  marl  in  mid-lake  wTas  de- 
posited in  deep  water,  and  this  latter  was  suddenly  brought  to  the 
surface  by  a fall  of  water  level  and  covered  with  an  organic  blanket 
preventing  a finer  deposit. 

In  deposits  of  the  second  or  uncompleted  condition  the  gradation 
in  quality,  due  to  the  variation  in  content  of  organic  matter,  is 
often  very  marked  and  seldom  absent.  The  shore  shallows  unless 
very  deep  deposits,  are  the  purest,  then  as  soundings  are  made 
toward  the  center  the  bed  decreases  in  thickness  and  the  marl  de- 
creases in  quality,  organic  matter  steadily  increasing  at  the  expense 
of  the  calcium  carbonate. 

Below  are  given  a table  of  soundings  in  lakes  about  Cloverdale, 
pages  78,  79,  80  and  table  of  analyses  made  of  samples  taken,  page 
80.  On  page  82  is  a list  or  key  to  all  the  samples  of  marl  elsewhere 
taken,  of  which  analyses  were  made.  On  page  83  are  the  partial 
analyses  of  these  samples.  It  will  be  seen  by  consulting  the  table 
that  several  samples  are  marked  A and  B.  The  samples  marked 
A were  taken  near  the  bottom  of  the  bed  and  those  marked  B were 
taken  at  the  surface  of  the  bed  directly  over  the  first  sample 
marked  A. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  deposits  were  very  heavily  adulterated 
with  clay  and  sand  it  is  difficult  to  compare  for  increase  of  organic 
matter. 


TABLE  OF  SOUNDINGS,  CLOVERDALE  DISTRICT. 


No. 

Analy- 

sis. 

Location  of  Sounding. 

Depth 

of 

water. 

Depth 

of 

marl. 

Bottom. 

Long  Lake. 

Tamaracklogon  bottom. 

1 

1A.... 

In  Narrows  at  Ackers  Point 

2 

30 

Gravelly  sand. 

2 

IB.... 

Surface  of  above 

3 

2A 

lOo  yards  east  of  No.  1 

4 

17 

4 

Same  as  above 

10 

3 ft.  into  fine  sharp  sand. 

5 

2B  .... 

Same  as  above.  Sampled  at  surface. 

6 

200  yards  east  of  No.  3 

24 

10 

7 

Sand  of  No.  6.  Not  preserved 

8 

3A 

Shallows  200  yards  southeast  of  No.  6. 

4 

30 

Very  fine  sand. 

9 

3B 

Surface  of  No.  8 

*As  for  instance  at  Cedar  Lake  in  Montcalm  County.  L. 


No. 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

.29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39 

40 

41 

42 

43 

44 

45 

46 

47 

48 

49 

50 

51 

52 

53 

54 

55 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 


USE  OF  MABL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  19 


TABLE  OF  SOUNDINGS,  CLOVERDALE  DISURICT —Continued. 


Location  of  Sounding. 


About  center  of  lake 

Surface  of  above 

At  lower  narrows 

East  of  rocky  islet 

Beyond  No.  12  toward  outlet 

Surface  of  No.  14 

To  side  toward  springs.  Marl  sandy . 

In  narrows 

Surfaceof  No.  17  not  preserved  Muck 
sample  of  No.  6 taken  near  here  — 

Northwest  of  rocky  islet 

Fishing  hole 

Just  outside  of  narrows  north  of  Ack- 
ers Point 

Half  way  between  Nos.  22  and  23 

200  yards  south  of  No.  23 

At  point  of  lake  opposite  Cloverdale. 
Opposite  springs  issuing  beneath  blue 

clay  at  end 

Just  below  boxed  spring  (x) 

20  feet  out  from  No.  28 

Just  west  of  Cloverdale,  south  side. . . 

Opposite  Beechwood  Point 

Shallows  in  toward  Beechwood  Point 

Balker  or  Horseshoe  Lake , Lobe  Next 
to  Outlet. 

In  front  of  narrows  at  lower  end 

In  narrows 

Shore  opposite  landing 

Up  lake  on  slight  point 

Just  outside  of  No.  36  in  deep  water. . 
In  straight  line  across  slight  neck  to 

south  shore 

Sample  can  No.  5 of  water  taken  over 

No.  40 

Deepest  sounding  made.  Brought  up 
trailing  water  plant  which  had  pow- 
erful odor  of  polecat* 

At  mouth  of  large  boiling  spring  200 
feet  toward  outlet  from  point  on 
south  shore  marking  previous  line  of 
soundings.  No.  4 collected  at  this 

spring 

200  feet  west  of  41  at  the  end  of  series 

of  soundings  across  lake 

Toward  upper  end  of  lake  from  No.  42 
At  outlet  of  lake.  Jar  No.  9 taken  at 

surface 

Center  of  basin.  Jar  of  water  No.  6. . 
In  inlet  from  other  lobe,  forming  nar- 
rows  


Guernsey  Lake. 

Blue  clay  flats  at  narrows 

In  west  channel  or  arm  of  south  lobe. 

West  shore  of  shallows 

Surface  of  same 

30  feet  out  from  49 

Surface  of  No.  51 

100  yards  south  or  up  from  No.  51 

Surface  of  No.  53 

Bottom  of  Mud  Lake 

Pine  Lake. 

Cove  of  landing  at  lower  end 

In  front  of  boiling  spring  on  opposite 

side 

In  outlet 

First  line  across  narrows 

Out  from  No.  4 

In  line  across 

In  line  across 

At  farther  side 


Depth 

of 

water. 

Depth 

of 

marl. 

Bottom. 

25 

20 

Heavy  gravel. 

6 

12 

4 

9 

3 

33 

Heavy  gravel. 

2 

2 

2 

10 

Pepper  and  salt  sand. 

4 

23 

16 

31 

2 y2 

17 

Fine  sand. 

2 

17 

4 

25 

3 

25 

3 

25 

3 

18 

18 

27 

4 

23 

3 

23 

2 

17 

2 

23 

2 

30 

3 

27 

Gravel. 

3 

29 

13 

15 

50 

10 

muck. 

0 

32 

Marl  dark  blue. 

2 

37 

2 

27 

yz 

32 

10 

30 

2 

4 

muck. 

8 

30 

6 in. 

27 

5 

24 

Sand  bottom. 

4 

20 

Sand. 

33 

5 

3 

20 

6 in. 

10 

6 in. 

10 

3 

15 

9 

9 

2 

6 

6 in. 

12 

(?).  L. 


20 


MARL. 


ANALYSES  OF  CLOVERDALE  SAMPLES. 


Number. 

Insoluble 
in  HC1. 

ALO3. 

Fe2C>3. 

CaC03. 

MgCOg- 

Organic 

Matter. 

1A 

3.34 

2.55 

84.30 

3.18 

6.63 

IB 

2.35 

2.94 

82.11 

2.64 

9.96 

2A  ....... . 

2.95 

.04 

85.00 

4.62 

6.39 

2B 

1.84 

2.00 

81.00 

10.21 

4.95 

3A 

20.54 

2.30 

67.53 

3.48 

6.15 

3B 

75.04 

1.90 

14.02 

6.05 

2.99 

4 

11.70 

3.92 

69.30 

3.17 

11.91 

5B 

14.15 

1 18 

75.15 

6 

32.32 

4.62 

42.14 

2.91 

18.01 

7 

13.04 

2.70 

40.00 

9 

15.14 

13.73 

43.13 

1.66 

26.34 

10 

4.64 

2.00 

65.09 

3.28 

24.99 

11A 

57.04 

4.30 

22.06 

12.45 

4.15 

12B 

7.20 

1.25 

64.12 

2.38 

24.05 

13  A 

55.10 

6.80 

25.28 

3.10 

9.74 

13B 

13.70 

2.24 

65.00 

2.72 

16.34 

14  A 

61.10 

4.50 

21.00 

11.76 

1.64 

14B 

1.44 

.90 

84.50 

4.19 

8.97 

15A 

41.94 

3.80 

47.23 

3.79 

3.24 

15B 

65.64 

5.35 

16.60 

9.53 

2.88 

16 

11.97 

1.45 

75.62 

3.44 

7.52 

17 

1.80 

.80 

83.00 

2.38 

12.02 

18  A 

5.04 

1.84 

74.46 

2.31 

16.35 

18B 

3.06 

.95 

85.04 

4.20 

6.75 

19A 

D.34 

2.00 

86.43 

2.42 

7.81 

19B 

2.04 

1.84 

84.46 

2.83 

2.83 

20A 

3.55 

3.50 

80.18 

3.33 

9.44 

20B  ....... . 

1.24 

1.60 

88.30 

3.03 

5.83 

21 

9.70 

10.90 

71.00 

1.92 

6.48 

Kent  16 

.14 

.73 

90.30 

3.21 

4.82 

Remarks. 


Long  Lake. 


Sand  and  gravel. 
Mg.  precipitated. 


Balker  Lake. 
Balker  Lake, 
t Mostly  clay. 

| Guernsey  Lake. 


Clay  and  sand. 

Clay. 

Checked  volumetrically 
Pine  Lake. 


For  position  and  depth  of  samples  above  analyzed  see  preceding  table  of  soundings  of 
Cloverdale  region. 

LOCATIONS  OF  SAMPLES  COLLECTED  FROM  DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF 
THE  STATE  BY  D.  J.  HALE  AND  ANALYZED  BY  A.  N.  CLARK. 

No.  4.  Marl  from  Big  White  Fish  Lake.  Springs  emptying  near  contain  iron 
and  sulphur. 

6.  Marl  of  Lime  Lake,  17  feet  below  surface  of  bed. 

7.  Shell  marl  at  surface  of  same  bed  (Lime  Lake).  At  first  pure  white,  it  turns 
brownish  red  upon  exposure  to  the  air. 

12.  Marl  near  spring  at  Corinne.  Very  hard  and  difficult  to  bore  in  with  ordi- 
nary augur. 

13.  Marl  at  Wetmore  in  bottom  of  boiling  spring. 

18.  Central  Lake.  Head  of  lake.  Deep  sounding. 

19.  South  end  of  lake,  27  feet  deep.  Below  level  of  bed. 

21.  In  channel  S.  E.  of  S.  Island,  Central  Lake.  (Intermediate  Lake.) 

25.  Center  of  Mound  Spring. 

26.  N.  side  of  Mound  Spring. 

28.  10  feet  below  the  surface  of  Mound  Spring,  Central  Lake. 

29.  Clay  on  Clout’s  farm,  Central  Lake. 

30.  Low  clay  west  side  of  Central  Lake. 

31.  Mixed  strata  of  clay  in  brickyard  at  Central  Lake. 

32.  33  and  34  are  three  depths  of  clay  on  a side  hill  near  Central  Lake. 

32.  The  highest  layer  consisting  of  broken  down  shale  or  clay. 

33.  Shale  below  32. 

34.  Lowest  shale. 

37.  Black  shale  from  a sixty  foot  shaft  west  of  E.  Jordan  4 or  5 miles.  Shaft 
was  mined  without  success  for  coal. 

38.  Green  shale  lower  in  level  than  black  shale  of  sample  37. 

27.  Iron  from  north  side  of  Mcund  Spring,  Central  Lake. 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  21 


PARTIAL  ANALYSES  OF  SOME  OF  THE  SAMPLES  COLLECTED  FROM  DIFFERENT 
PARTS  OF  THE  STATE  BY  D.  J.  HALE  AND  ANALYZED  BY  A.  N.  CLARK. 


Number. 

CciCOg. 

MgCOn. 

Fe2C>3. 

ai2o3. 

Insoluble. 

Remarks. 

4 

23.57 

1.89 

6.75 

56.95 

Red  sandy  marl. 

6 

92.00 

0.57 

Very  white.  Ferrous  iron,  70%. 

7 

90.00 

.30 

Brown  on  exposure  to  air.  Fe  0.72. 

12 

76.07 

1.59 

1.00 

19.00 

White. 

13 

90.71 

1.51 

1.60 

4.50 

Cream  color. 

18 

42.32 

2.04 

19 

57.32 

1.51 

21 

90.90 

1.59 

25 

32.76 

1.89 

26 

27.32 

0.53 

28 

1.09 

1.73 

29 

.18 

1.05 

30 

4.82 

1.51 

31 

20.18 

1.40 

32 

.36 

1.66 

33 

.44 

.98 

34 

1.25 

1.89 

37 

3.21 

1.96 

38 

2.00 

2.42 

27 

85.00 

1.13 

5.65 

Red  shale. 

Above  samples  were  analyzed  by  acid  solution  the  same  as  for  marls  and  limestones. 
The  method  gives  too  low  results  for  CaO  where  samples  consist  mostly  of  clay.— A N. 
Clark. 


Upon  comparison  of  the  eight  double  samples  marked  A 
and  B,  page  20,  it  will  be  found  that  five  of  them  show  an 
increase  of  organic  matter  of  the  deep  soundings  over  the  sur- 
face soundings.*  If  the  surface  samples  are  taken  directly  at  the 
surface  they  are  liable  to  show  greater  organic  matter  due  to  the 
presence  of  roots  of  grass  and  rushes  in  shallow  water,  as  these 
generally  form  a thick  somewhat  impervious  mat  over  the  surface 
of  a bed  of  shallows.  If  soundings  or  samples  6 and  7 above 
are  compared,  it  will  be  seen  that  both  are  high  in  calcium  carbon- 
ate and  that  the  surface  marl  is  more  impure  than  that  at  a depth 
of  17  feet.  This  was  a shell  marl  bed  and  may  form  an  exception 
to  the  rule  that  the  deepest  marl  has  less  of  carbonate  and  more 
of  organic  matter.  This  rule  cannot  be  too  much  emphasized  as 
it  forms  one  of  the  few  guides  in  the  examination  of  a typical  marl 
bed.  If  the  marl  all  lies  under  deep  water  it  will  vary  little  in  con- 
tent of  organic  matter  being  nearly  the  same  at  the  bottom  as  at 
the  top.  Such  was  the  case  in  the  bed  at  Bice  Lake,  which  con- 
tained a bed  35  feet  in  depth  and  yet  the  marl  did  not  vary  as  much 
as  in  many  smaller  lakes,  remaining  about  the  same  at  the  bottom 
as  at  the  top.  On  the  other  hand  a chain  of  small  lakes  was 
examined  which  had  marl  in  the  shore  shallows  30  feet  in  depth.  It 


*As  also  in  analyses  furnished  by  Michigan  Portland  Cement  Co.  L. 


22 


MAUL. 


was  nearly  pure  on  top,  but  at  bottom  was  scarcely  more  than  a 
muck. 

In  lakes  where  the  deposit  of  marl  is  continuing  at  present  or 
has  only  recently  ceased,  the  conditions  governing  its  location  are 
highly  interesting.  In  such  cases  it  appears  to  have  covered  the 
lake  bottom  evenly  like  a sediment,  but  with  this  difference,  that  it 
is  a sediment  that  fills  in  and  helps  very  much  to  do  away  with 
inequalities  in  an  uneven  lake  bottom.  This  was  very  strikingly 
illustrated  in  the  series  of  soundings  at  Cloverdale  given  above. 
(See  also  Chap.  V,  Sec.  2.) 

In  a marl  lake  which  is  depositing  at  the  present  time  there 
will  be  seen  little  if  any  black  sediment.  The  common  river  or 
lake  alluvium  or  sediment  that  will  naturally  accumulate  is  sur- 
rounded by  the  white  particles  of  marl  and  forms  a part  of  the 
marl  bed,  but  of  course  loses  its  dark  color,  becoming  light  in  color 
like  the  remainder  of  the  bed.  Twigs,  limbs  of  trees  that  fall  into 
the  water,  the  water  plants  themselves  that  die  and  would  naturally 
become  black  and  so  color  the  bottom,  are  surrounded  by  the  white 
marl  particles  and  are  transformed  into  a part  of  the  bed.  When 
this  process  is  in  active  operation  the  bottom  of  the  lake  shallows 
is  perfectly  white  from  the  transforming  power  of  the  forming 
marl.  The  prospector  can  readily  trace  out  the  point  at  which 
this  process  has  ceased  by  the  presence  again  of  sediment  on  the 
lake  bottom,  giving  it  its  customary  black  color.  And  this  symp- 
tom is  a satisfactory  and  sure  index  to  the  variation  of  the  marl 
bed.  Where  sediment  has  begun  to  form,  instead  of  being  coated 
by  marl,  the  marl  will  decrease  in  depth  beneath  as  the  sediment 
increases  in  depth  above,  and  where  there  is  any  great  depth  of 
sediment  above  there  will  be  found  little  marl  beneath  it.* 

The  position  of  this  lake  sediment  must,  however,  be  thoroughly 
understood.  It  lies  under  the  water  and  above  the  marl  and  when 
it  begins  to  cover  the  marl,  it  is  pretty  good  evidence  that  the  bed 
has  ceased  growing.  When  the  bed  on  the  other  hand,  from  any 
cause  such  as  the  fall  bf  the  water  level  to  the  surface  of  the  bed 
or  the  growth  of  the  bed  up  near  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  gives 
marsh  growths,  etc.,  a chance  to  form  on  the  surface  of  the  bed, 
growth  will  stop  and  the  bed  will  become  sealed  over  and  forever 
afterward  will  be  a part  of  a marsh  or  dry  lake  bed,  assuming  at 
once  the  condition  spoken  of  under  dry  lake  beds. 


•This  is  illustrated  also  by  soundings  near  Riverdale,  Gratiot  Co.  L. 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  23 

It  lias  been  already  stated  that  the  edges  of  lakes  where  marl 
is  at  present  forming  contain  the  deepest  marl.  It  is  true  that  the 
rule  in  regard  to  these  lakes  is  decrease  of  depth  toward  the 
center,  for  the  marl  is  not  at  the  present  day  forming  as  well  in 
deep  water  as  in  shallow.  Its  quality  toward  deep  water  decreases 
by  virtue  of  increase  in  per  cent  of  organic  matter.  This  seems  a 
reliable  rule  with  few  exceptions  and  has  been  found  so  true  as  to 
be  depended  on  in  almost  every  case.  The  marl  rapidly  deteriorates 
till  in  very  deep  water  it  becomes  little  more  than  a mucky  marl  or 
perhaps  a bog  iron.  The  marl  at  this  depth  exists  in  a fine  state 
of  suspension  and  could  be  taken  only  with  an  instrument  so  tight 
as  to  hold  water  as  well  as  marl.  A sample  was  taken  in  fifty  feet 
of  water  while  at  the  sides  of  the  lake  a few  hundred  feet  distant 
there  were  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  of  fair  marl.  In  this  short 
distance  with  sudden  increase  to  a great  depth  the  marl  has  be- 
come almost  a muck  losing  the  characteristic  light  color  of  marl. 

The  presence  of  springs,  while  characteristic  of  a marl  region,, 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  depth  of  marl  at  a given  spot.  Though 
the  presence  of  hard  water  in  and  about  a marl  lake  is  expected  as 
a rule  and  may  generally  be  calculated  upon,  a spring  is  no  guide 
whatever  to  the  location  of  the  deepest  marl.  One  spring  will  be 
found  to  bubble  through  marl  many  feet  deep  while  another  spring 
in  the  same  lake  and  containing  water  fully  as  hard  is  as  likely  to 
be  surrounded  for  any  distance  by  pure  sand,  or  to  issue  from  the 
ground  through  pure  lake  silt  or  through  muck.  If  anything,  the 
balance  of  instances  is  against  marl  near  springs  as  they,  if  not  in 
the  lake  issuing  from  marl,  start  small  rivulets  of  water  which, 
as  the  outlets  of  the  springs,  bring  down  a slight  drift  of  sand  or 
other  foreign  matter.  In  highly  charged  hot  water  mineral  springs 
such  as  may  be  easily  found  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  or  in  Europe, 
the  minerals  contained  in  the  water  are  upon  its  arrival  at  the  sur- 
face immediately  released  from  solution  and  thrown  down  as  a 
deposit  at  the  mouth  of  the  spring.  The  method  of  deposition  and 
the  location  of  such  deposit  is  obvious.  Our  springs  certainly  do 
not  discharge  their  burden  of  lime  immediately  and  therefore  give 
no  sure  clue  to  the  manner  in  which  the  deposit  is  brought  about 
or  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  marl  deposit. 

§ 6.  Surroundings  of  marl. 

It  is  of  the  greatest  practical  importance  to  the  prospector  to 
note  carefully  the  surroundings  of  marl.  In  the  definition  and 


24 


MARL. 


identifications  of  marl  attention  was  called  to  the  immense  varia- 
tion in  appearance  and  chemical  constitution  of  marl  brought  about 
by  the  impurities  with  which  it  often  becomes  contaminated.  In 
the  surroundings  of  marl  the  prospector  must  always  seek  the 
direct  source  of  these  impurities  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  the 
location  of  marl  in  relation  to  its  surroundings  must  always  be 
carefully  noted. 

(a)  Shore  wash.  Marl  can  never  be  considered  as  a deposit  oc- 
cupying very  large  single  areas  as  do  many  other  minerals.  It  is 
confined  to  those  depressions  which  have  once  formed  lakes  and 
are  now  lakes  or  marshes.  It  then  fills  a pocket  or  hollow  of  the 
above  description  and  is  directly  subject  to  the  natural  forces  that 
act  upon  the  hills  and  banks  forming  the  rim  of  the  depression 
which  is  nearly  always  the  shore  line  of  the  lake.  If  the  indenta- 
tion is  deep  the  shore  line  will  be  a bluff  of  clay  or  sand.  If  the 
marl  and  the  water  which  must  have  originally  covered  it  extend  up 
under  or  close  to  the  commanding  bluff,  the  action  of  rain  or  run- 
ning water  can  be  nearly  always  traced  in  surface  wash  upon  the 
marl,  for  gravity  will  then  bring  down  upon  the  marl  which  is  in 
process  of  formation,  large  quantities  of  sand  or  clay,  depending 
upon  whether  the  bluff  is  sand  or  clay.  The  presence  of  sand  may 
still  be  expected  even  when  the  banks  of  the  lake  are  very  low,  pro- 
viding the  deposit  of  marl  is  very  deep.  The  reason  is  this.  If  we 
consider  that  a marl  bed  30  feet  in  depth  is  stripped  from  a lake  we 
have  a valley  originally  thirty  feet  deeper  than  the  one  which  lies 
before  us  filled  with  30  feet  of  marl.  Still  in  case  of  very  low  banks 
the  deep  marl  bed  was  always  covered  by  water  and  the  slant  of 
the  bank  alone  will  do  much  to  govern  the  amount  of  sand  or  clay 
washed  down  upon  the  bed.  In  such  cases,  if  a deep  marl  bed  ter- 
minates abruptly  at  the  foot  of  its  bank  or  bluff,  the  deposit  will 
be  found  to  be  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  wash  of  the  overhanging 
bank.  Soundings  in  such  cases  reveal  a layering  of  sand  then  a 
layer  of  marl  and  then  of  sand  and  so  on  to  the  bottom.  Or  it  may 
appear  from  the  shore  to  some  little  distance  out  that  there  is 
nothing  but  sand.  Upon  sounding  it  is  found  that  the  sand  and 
gravel  from  the  shore  have  swept  down  and  over  the  marl  com- 
pletely covering  it  for  some  distance  out,  the  marl  in  some  cases 
being  found  to  terminate  very  abruptly  against  a steep  bank  and 
underneath  a covering  sheath  of  sand.  This  is  the  immediate  and 
very  local  effect  of  the  banks  or  shores  of  the  lake  upon  the  appear- 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  25 


ance  and  constitution  of  the  marl  bed  about  its  edge,  but  in  such 
cases  the  marl  is  rather  thoroughly  mixed  with  sand  or  gravel 
some  distance  out  and  is  entirely  unfit  for  manufacture.  A lake 
with  steep  banks  or  with  marl  lying  close  under  low  banks  must 
be  watched  closely  for  local  traces  of  mixing.  Long  Lake  at 
Cloverdale  is  an  example  of  this. 

(b)  Streams.  The  next  contaminating  agent  is  running  water. 
A stream  running  through  a sandy  or  clay  ravine  upon  a bed  of 
marl  in  a lake  can  generally  be  traced  for  some  distance  by  the 
presence  of  sand,  muck,  silt  and  other  foreign  substance  in  the 
marl.  In  many  cases  the  formation  of  marl  seems  to  have  been 
prevented  entirely.  But  on  the  other  hand  the  course  of  streams 
changes  rapidly,  as  does  the  drainage  of  many  lakes,  so  that  a 
stream  is  often  found  flowing  over  marl  which  has  been  already 
formed,  very  likely  before  the  stream  existed  at  that  point.  If  a 
stream  coming  from  another  lake  flows  over  marl  all  the  way  and 
comes  from  a marl  lake  its  evil  effects  as  a sand  bearer  are  very 
slight.  If  it  comes  with  considerable  force  from  a sandy  region 
and  has  been  rather  permanent  it  produces  a large  patch  of  sand 
for  some  distance  about  the  inlet,  and  there  is  an  entire  absence 
of  marl.  Small  rivulets  and  ditches  formed  or  dug  in  recent  years 
across  a marl  bed,  carry  in  their  path  large  amounts  of  sand  and 
even  gravel,  which  sometimes  render  the  marl  unfit  for  use.  They 
should  be  watched  with  great  care  by  the  prospector  to  see  that 
they  do  not  bring  impurities  in  quantities  sufficient  to  destroy  the 
value  of  the  marl.  Marl  when  once  formed  in  a rather  solid  bed  is 
not  easily  penetrated  by  sand  bearing  waters.  Springs  wrhich  bub- 
ble up  through  marl  beds  from  a sandy  bottom  beneath  do  not 
often  cause  the  sand  to  permeate  the  bed  in  large  amounts.  The 
sand  brought  by  streams  flowing  over  established  beds  does  not 
penetrate  the  bed  to  any  great  depth  provided  such  a bed  is  rather 
solid.  If,  however,  the  sand  bearing  agent,  such  as  a stream  or 
wash  from  hills,  has  been  at  work  layering  or  steadily  mixing  with 
the  bed  at  all  depths  during  its  formation,  the  bed  will  be  found  to 
be  mixed  with  the  adulterating  sand  or  gravel  for  long  distances, 
sometimes  completely  destroying  the  commercial  value  of  the 
deposit. 

(c)  Surface.  This  is  a name  used  to  designate  the  covering  of 
the  marl,  whatever  that  may  be.  The  first  covering  of  marl  has 
always  been  water.  It  is  formed  under  water  and  it  is  necessary 

4-Pt.  Ill 


26 


MARL. 


as  long  as  it  grows  that  it  be  destitute  of  all  other  covering.  Ex- 
ception or  explanation  must  accompany  this  statement.  The  nat- 
ural clothing  of  a marl  which  is  in  active  growth  is  generally 
a characteristic  water  plant*  growing  on  the  marl.  This  covers 
large  areas  in  the  usual  marl  shallows,  and  is  seldom  found  lacking 
in  an  actively  growing  bed.  It  is  small,  lying  close  to  the  bed, 
reclines  and  almost  trails  and  has  very  bare  branches  which  issue 
from  the  stem  in  whorls  or  circles  completely  surrounding  the  par- 
ent stem.  These  plants,  together  with  all  other  objects  not  posses- 
sing the  power  of  motion,  are  thickly  covered  with  a whitish  coat- 
ing of  the  marl.  This  condition  of  active  formation  of  marl  ceases 
when  the  shallows  approach  the  surface  of  the  water  so  closely  that 
rushes  and  marsh  growth  of  all  kinds  can  obtain  a foothold  on  the 
marl  as  a soil.  The  marl  then  becomes  coated  with  a surface  of 
muck  and  marl  deposit  ceases.  When  the  marl  rapidly  dries  out 
there  remains  but  a thin  coating  of  marsh  growth  which  may  re- 
main as  only  a few  inches  of  soil  surmounted  by  ordinary  marsh 
grass.  There  is  then  practically  no  surface  or  one  which  may  be 
easily  removed  by  the  dredge.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  surface 
next  to  the  marl  remains  very  wet,  it  is  conducive  to  a very  luxuri- 
ant marsh  growth  which  may  sometimes  consist  of  from  two  to 
seven  feet  of  loose  roots  and  rushes.  Sometimes  a thick  wood  has 
sprung  up  on  the  bed  consisting  of  trees  of  large  size  or  a very 
thick  tangle  of  underbrush.  This  means  a tough  surface  of  roots 
to  be  removed  before  the  marl  can  be  used  and  its  nature  should 
be  carefully  noted  by  the  prospector.  This  is  one  way  in  which  a 
marl  bed  is  covered  and  gets  its  surface. 

(d)  Silt  under  water.  When  the  conditions  have  become  un- 
favorable for  further  formation  of  marl,  the  silt  which  is  constantly 
deposited  from  lake  water,  ceases  to  be  enveloped  by  the  particles 
of  marl  an  ,5.  falls  upon  the  bed,  making  a dark  covering.  This 
sometimes  forms  over  a bed  or  a part  of  it  and  the  growth  then 
ceases.  In  time  the  deposit  of  silt  reaches  the  surface  of  the  water 
or  the  water  sinks  to  that  of  the  silt.  In  either  case  the  silt  is 
exposed  so  that  marsh  growth  gets  foothold  and  seals  the  deposit 
as  before.  One  marl  bed  was  found  where  there  were  layers  of 
this  silt  with  its  attendant  marsh  growth  intervening  between 
layers  of  marl.  The  rule  is  in  nearly  every  instance,  however,  that 
when  sediment  of  the  nature  of  silt  or  marsh  growth  is  found  be- 


♦Chara,  see  chapter  by  C.  A.  Davis.  L. 


THE  USE  OF  MABL  FOB  CEMENT  MANUFACTUBE.  27 


neath  the  marl  such  a layer  is  an  indication  that  the  bottom  of 
the  bed  has  been  reached. 

(e)  Lining  of  marsh  growth  or  decayed  plant  life.  It  is  true  that 
pure  lake  sediment  often  smothers  and  seals  the  growth  of  a marl, 
even  when  the  bed  is  covered  with  many  feet  of  water.  There  is 
another  very  interesting  phenomenon  which  the  prospector  notices 
when  he  has  penetrated  often  to  the  bottom  of  some  beds.  Just 
before  the  sounding  apparatus  penetrates  the  sand  or  clay  under- 
lying the  bed,  it  passes  through  a thin  layer  of  nearly  pure  organic 
matter  which  seems  to  be  the  finely  compressed  and  decomposed 
residue  of  plant  life.  It  is  green  or  blue  in  color,  fine  in  texture, 
and  it  forms  a very  sharply  defined  layer  a few  inches  thick.  It  lies 
just  under  the  marl  between  the  marl  and  sand  forming  an  organic 
lining.  It  contains  some  lime  and  does  not  effervesce  very  freely 
with  acids.  This  layer  was  noticed  in  several  rather  deep  deposits.* 

(f)  Organic  matter  permeating  deposits.  Remains  of  plant  life 
always  form  a characteristic  part  of  a marl  bed,  but  the  prospector 
will  find  a more  or  less  sharp  distinction  between  two  kinds  associa- 
ted with  the  bed: 

(A) .  Organic  matter  of  the  marl  deposit. 

This  organic  content  of  the  marl  bed  varies  with  the  depth  of 
the  bed  and  the  depth  of  the  water  above  the  marl.  It  is  as  much  a 
part  of  the  marl  bed  as  is  the  content  of  lime.  It  can  be  depended 
upon  that  this  content  of  plant  remains  will  increase  in  two  ways; 
first,  from  the  shallows  toward  the  center  of  a lake  or  marsh,  and 
second,  from  the  surface  of  a thick  deposit  toward  the  bottom  of 
that  deposit.  This  is  one  of  the  rules  with  fewest  exceptions  and 
will  serve  as  one  of  the  best  practical  guides  to  the  prospector. 
This  rule  works,  of  course,  only  in  the  absence  of  outside  influences; 
i.  e.,  when  the  composition  of  the  bed  is  not  interfered  with  by 
drainage,  water  streams,  etc.  The  consideration  of  this  leads  di- 
rectly to  that  of 

(B) .  Organic  matter  of  drainage. 

When  a stream  brings  in  much  silt  or  drift  of  any  kind  the  condi- 
tions favoring  the  deposit  of  marl  cease  to  exist,  then  a heavy  ad- 
mixture of  organic  matter  follows  with  no  fixed  rule  by  which  to 
judge  it  except  perhaps  direction  and  force  of  the  water  which 
may  empty  upon  the  deposit.  In  the  majority  of  such  cases  the 
dividing  line  between  marl  and  foreign  matter  is  sharp  enough  so 


♦Compare  what  is  said  about  Schizothrix.  L. 


28 


MABL. 


that  the  area  of  the  marl  can  be  fairly  outlined.  Yet  this  some- 
times varies  and  the  influence  of  the  foreign  organic  matter  is  felt 
for  a varying  distance  into  the  body  of  the  marl  deposit. 

(g)  Materials  underlying  marl.  The  various  soils  which  surround 
and  influence  the  quality  of  the  marl  bed  have  been  described  and 
it  now  remains  to  describe  the  substratum  or  foundation  upon 
which  the  marl  lies.  The  thin  layer  of  organic  matter  which  often 
forms  the  lining  of  the  bed  has  already  been  described. 

In  Rice  Lake,  at  the  bottom  of  thirty-five  feet  of  marl,  a thin 
layer  of  pure  organic  matter  lay  under  the  marl  and  rested  upon 
sand.  This  layer  was  pierced  in  nearly  all  soundings  in  the  lake, 
where  bottom  was  struck. 

Marl  never  lies  on  muck  or  organic  matter  of  any  great  depth. 
The  usual  foundation  is  sand  or  clay.  The  majority  of  beds  lying 
upon  clay  seem  to  indicate  that  the  marl  is  a distinct  deposit  differ- 
ing from  clay  and  that  if  the  clay  is  mixed  with  marl  to  any  extent 
it  is  due  to  a sedimentary  deposit  of  the  clay  by  water  flowing  off 
of  some  adjacent  clay  bed.  Instances  were  seen  where,  in  this 
way,  clay  of  a highly  magnesian  composition  was  freely  mixed  with 
the  marl  deposit.  In  most  cases  there  is,  however,  a sharp  line  of 
division  between  marl  and  clay. 

Perhaps  the  most  characteristic  material  which  forms  the  final 
basis  of  marl  deposits  is  sand.  This  is  in  nearly  every  case  a fine 
quartz  sand  which  may  be  mixed  with  fine  grains  of  mica,  forming 
apepper  and  salt  sand.”  If  the  deposit  of  marl  is  lined  with  the 
above  described  layer  of  organic  matter  the  material,  whether  it 
be  sand  or  clay  forming  the  basis  or  foundation  for  the  marl,  does 
not  work  into  the  deposit  affecting  the  uniformity  of  its  quality. 
If  coarse  gravel  takes  the  place  of  the  fine  sand  bottom  it  indicates 
the  former  presence  of  flowing  water  and  foreign  matter  of  all 
kinds  so  far  described  must  be  watched  for  by  the  prospector. 

A fact  in  this  connection  is  noteworthy.  This  is  that  an  amount 
running  from  1$  to  3$  of  fine  quartz  sand  is  fairly  well  distributed 
through  most  deposits  of  marl.  This  seems  to  be  strictly  separate 
from  the  ordinary  surface  washings  of  coarse  sand.  In  one  case, 
Onekama  Lake,  the  sand  of  this  special  kind  was  nearly  absent. 
But  on  the  bottom  of  the  deposit  and  in  some  cases  at  intervals  to- 
ward the  surface,  there  were  thin  layers  of  half  decayed  organic 
matter.  In  some  cases  the  wood,  at  10  or  15  feet  beneath  the  marl, 
was  well  preserved  so  that  the  fibre  could  be  split.  In  one  instance 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  29 


at  Ackers  Point,  Cloverdale,  a well  preserved  tamarack  log  was 
struck  at  the  depth  of  thirty  feet.  It  lay  on  the  bottom  of  the  true 
lake  bed  as  a sounding  near  by  showed  sand  at  the  same  depth. 

(h)  Materials  overlying  marl.  It  is  difficult  to  judge  of  the  age 
of  a marl  bed  by  its  covering.  Large  areas  of  marl  are  covered  by 
marsh.  This  generally  is  in  a semi-fluid  condition  so  that  it  jars 
with  the  tread  for  yards  around.  It  will  remain  in  such  a condi- 
tion as  long  as  the  water  level  allows  the  water  to  stand  within  a 
foot  or  so  of  the  surface  of  the  marl.  In  such  a condition  the  marsh 
growth  of  rushes  and  their  roots  grow  rapidly  and  surface  soil,  etc., 
is  caught  making  a spongy  growth  of  sometimes  five  to  eight  feet 
or  more  in  thickness.  Solid  ground  may  form  over  it  and  the  pres- 
ence of  marl  be  unsuspected.  When,  however,  a shaft  is  sunk  or 
railroad  spiles  are  driven,  or  a grading  put  on  the  ground,  the  pres- 
ence of  marl  is  attested.  The  spiles  sink  suddenly  or  the  grading 
sinks,  or  the  shaft  is  suddenly  filled  with  mud.  All  these  things 
have  occurred,  showing  that  the  marl  is  often  buried  deeply.  In 
such  cases  the  water  at  the  level  of  the  marl  kept  it  fluid  all  the 
time.  A surfacing  of  marsh  growth  develops  rapidly  and  leads  one 
to  think  the  marl  very  old  on  account  of  the  thickness  of  the  sur- 
face upon  it.  On  the  other  hand,  if  water  level  sinks,  the  marl 
dries  out  and  no  luxuriant  vegetation  grows  excepting  the  ordinary 
marsh  grass.  There  are  hundreds  of  acres  of  this  that  may  be 
very  much  older  than  that  covered  by  marsh  growth.  At  Rice 
Lake  there  was  a marsh  growth  of  from  two  to  six  feet  which  must 
have  been  largely  grown  since  the  lake  bottom  was  drained  but  a 
few  years  ago. 

§ 7.  Method  of  prospecting  a given  area. 

The  general  rules  for  the  location  of  marl  beds  by  the  prospector 
have  been  given.  Also  those  more  particular  laws  which  will  as- 
sist in  judging  of  the  probable  effect  on  the  bed  of  foreign  materials 
surrounding,  above,  around,  and  beneath  the  bed.  After  a marl 
bed  is  located  in  a valley  or  depression,  either  as  a lake  or  marsh 
or  combination  of  both,  the  next  step  is  to  estimate  the  area  and 
depth.  If  a surveyor’s  outfit  is  to  be  had  the  work  can  of  course 
be  performed  with  unquestioned  accuracy.  Lines  may  be  run 
measured  distances  and  at  right  angles  to  these,  another  set  of 
measured  lines  making  of  the  marl  a checker  board  of  squares  the 
intersecting  lines  of  which  should  be  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet 
apart.  At  these  intersections  soundings  could  be  made  and  the 


30 


MABL. 


depth  noted  upon  the  plat  of  the  bed.  As  it  very  often  happens 
the  prospector  does  not  carry  surveying  or  measuring  instruments, 
a practical  and  at  the  same  time  accurate  method  of  testing  the 
bed  must  be  devised,  as  follows: 

(1)  A record  of  everything  done  must  be  kept  and  this  record  must 
be  made  as  soon  as  each  fact  is  ascertained,  not  trusting  to  the 
memory  any  detail. 

(2)  Soundings  must  be  made  as  nearly  as  possible  in  straight 
lines  with  the  lines  parallel  to  each  other. 

(3)  The  best  and  most  permanent  marks  by  which  to  locate  the 
soundings  made  and  the  work  done  are  the  section  lines  and  bound- 
ary lines  of  landowners.  A bed  can  usually  be  located  as  included 
within  boundaries  of  a quarter  section  or  of  a forty  or  eighty  acre 
plat  of  ground. 

(4)  To  measure  the  distance  between  soundings,  the  woodman’s 
method  of  pacing  the  ground  can  be  resorted  to.  Soundings  should 
be  made  at  first  not  over  fifty  feet  apart,  but  if  the  deposit,  after 
many  soundings,  is  found  to  be  very  regular  in  both  depth  and 
quality,  the  distance  may  be  increased  to  one  hundred  or  two  hun- 
dred feet,  care  being  taken  to  at  once  decrease  the  distance  between 
soundings  upon  the  slightest  signs  of  change  of  quality  or  sudden 
unevenness  in  depth. 

(5)  If  soundings  are  entirely  upon  land  the  distance  is  more  easily 
calculated,  but  if  on  water  and  in  summer  it  is  more  difficult  to 
determine  accurately.  In  making  deep  soundings  in  shallows  on 
water  it  is  safest  to  use  boats.  A rough  frame  or  planking  will 
serve  to  bind  the  boats  together  and  the  soundings  may  be  made 
between  the  boats,  the  operators  standing  upon  the  cross  planks  as 
nearly  as  possible  at  the  center.  It  is  often  found  possible,  where 
the  bed  is  not  very  thick,  for  the  soundings  to  be  made  with  augur 
and  pipe  from  one  boat,  the  boat  being  rocked  by  the  persons  in  it 
to  exert  a leverage  on  the  side  in  raising  the  pipe.  This  sometimes 
fails,  resulting  in  inability  to  raise  the  pipe,  which  becomes  stuck 
in  the  marl.  It  must  always  be  remembered  that  small  pipe  and 
quick  handling  make  light  work. 

§ 8.  Commercial  importance  of  composition. 

It  will  now  be  well  to  consider  marl  in  regard  to  the  manner  in 
which  its  chemical  composition  affects  its  usefulness  for  factory 
purposes. 

In  the  following  treatment  the  impurities  of  marl  will  not  be 


THE  USE  OF  MAEL  FOE  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  31 


considered  but  the  fairly  pure  marl  only,  leaving  out  sand,  clay, 
and  extraneous  organic  matter.  The  best  marl  and  that  which 
should  most  nearly  typify  marl  as  an  economic  deposit  lies,  we  will 
say,  in  a small  inland  lake.  It  is  covered  by  but  a few  feet  of  water 
and  by  no  silt  or  foreign  matter  whatever.  It  is  growing  at  the 
present  time.  It  rests  on  a bed  of  tine  quartz  sand,  which  does  not 
affect  its  composition  to  any  great  extent.  The  influx  of  surface 
waters  and  drainage  streams  has  not  interfered  with  the  purity  of 
the  deposit.  This  lake  is  fed  mainly  by  hard  water  springs.  Such 
are  the  surroundings  of  a very  pure  marl  when  it  is  in  the  process 
of  deposition. 

(1)  Appearance. 

The  marl  on  the  shoals  or  marl  flats  of  such  a lake  is  very  white 
and  somewhat  granular.  The  marl  near  or  not  quite  at  the  surface 
is  very  much  the  purer  and  will  generally  give  the  higher  analysis 
if  it  is  not  mixed  with  roots  of  water  plants  in  gathering  the 
sample.  We  see  such  high  analyses  of  marl  quoted  frequently  as 
95$  to  98$  calcium  carbonate.  This  is  all  true  enough,  but  repre- 
sents usually  but  a small  portion  of  the  bed  which  in  reality  would 
average  much  below  such  a percentage  if  the  analysis  of  a sample 
from  the  bottom  of  a thirty  foot  bed  were  to  be  given,  even  if  the 
deeper  sample  were  to  be  taken  over  the  same  spot  as  the  shallow. 
Marl  of  the  above  location,  at  the  surface  of  an  actively  depositing 
bed  is  often  very  granular  and  even  gritty  to  the  touch.  Upon  a 
careful  examination  it  will  be  found  that  the  grit  is  composed  en- 
tirely of  marl  and  not  of  sand,  as  might  at  first  be  supposed.  The 
marl  is  seen  gathered  into  pebbles  and  has  often  formed  about 
roots  and  small  objects  of  every  kind.  When  the  root  has  died  and 
rotted  down  it  often  leaves  a hollow  pebble  around  which  the  marl 
continues  to  form.*  Toward  the  bottom  of  a thirty  foot  deposit, 
at  the  same  place,  few  if  any  of  such  accretions  will  be  found  pres- 
ent. The  marl  is  at  the  same  time  finer  grained,  more  adulterated 
with  organic  matter  and  darker  in  color.  Toward  the  center  of 
such  a bed,  in  deeper  water,  the  marl  is  also  darker  in  color  at  the 
surface,  the  concretions  disappearing  also.  It  is  this  reason 
that  single  chemical  analyses  reveal  little  of  the  nature  of  a bed. 
As  far,  however,  as  the  exact  nature  of  marl  and  its  identity  as 
distinguished  from  every  other  calcareous  deposit  are  concerned, 
a pure  bed  as  above  described  serves  as  the  best  illustration  of  one 


♦Produced  by  Schizothrix.  See  C.  A.  Davis’  paper.  L. 


32 


MARL . 


very  important  fact  to  the  manufacturer,  which  is  that  marl  as  a 
distinct  deposit  and  free  from  all  contamination  varies  very  much 
in  its  own  composition,  in  the  same  bed  at  the  same  spot. 

(2)  Composition. 

With  the  foregoing  understanding  an  endeavor  will  be  made  to 
explain  the  composition  of  marl.  Marl  is  certainly  due  to  one 
clearly  defined  agency.  (1)  It  derives  its  composition  from  the 
carbonates  contained  in  the  hard  water  of  the  springs.  It  is  not 
deposited  immediately  around  the  springs.  A secondary  agent  in 
the  deposition  is  the  growth  of  shells,  snail  shells,  bivalves,  etc., 
which  have  died  leaving  their  shells  to  more  or  less  increase  the 
depth  of  the  calcareous  deposit  of  marl.  In  places  favorable  to  their 
growth,  or  where  they  have  been  sifted  from  the  surrounding  marl 
by  wave  motion  they  form  a nearly  solid  bed,  while  in  other  places 
they  and  their  broken  down  forms  are  nearly  if  not  entirely  absent. 
The  following  are  the  analyses  of  fairly  pure  samples  of  marl  from 
different  parts  of  the  State. 


MARL  ANALYSES. 


Calcium 

Carbon- 

ate. 

Magne- 

sium 

Carbon- 

ate. 

Ferric 

Oxide. 

Alum- 

ina. 

Insolu- 

ble 

Silica. 

Soluble 

Silica. 

Mois- 

ture. 

Organic 

Matter. 

Sul- 

phuric 

Acid 

(S03). 

Phos- 

phorius.. 

1 

74.480 

0.50 

2.36 

0.54 

7.20 

1.25 

12.88 

0.89 

2 

82.142 

4.620 

0.9775 

1.151 

16.27 

11.173 

0.00 

0.037 

3 

89.965 

1.672 

0.999 

0.158 

1.222 

9.750 

5.984 

0.00 

0.03 

4 

83.045 

1.201 

Undete 

rmined 

3.569 

11.700 

0.485 

0.00 

5 

87.000 

0.910 

1.30 

0.070 

0.780 

0.130 

0.600 

9.800 

0.270 

6 

97.000 

1.010 

1.260 

0.08 

.30 

7 

94.496 

1.250 

0.432 

2.528 

0.235 

0.790 

0.00 

0.150- 

8 

92.91 

1.89 

0.53 

0.21 

1.54 

2.01 

0.80 

trace. 

9 

77.1 

3.28 

^1.92 

9.64 

7o.99 

10 

11 

92.1 

60.00 

3.2 

3.00 

- 

.76 

0.62 

.30 

.22 

34.60 

^3.7 
1 .50 

12 

.10 

.14 

1.90 

0.64 

5.69 

.56 

.01 

13 

93.8 

0.73 

differen 

cel  .17 

14 

92.79 

2.27 

A).  52 

3.25 

15 

93.75 

2.42 

.25 

.55 

1.01 

.18 

differen 

cel.84 

trace. 

16 

91.34 

.77 

.40 

.55 

.78 

.42 

5.79 

.26 

THE  USE  OF  MAUL  FOB  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  33 


KEY  TO  PRECEDING  TABLE. 

1.  Marl  from  Alpena,  Mich.,  W.  E.  Courtis,  analyst. 

2.  Marl,  Cass  City,  Michigan,  same  analyst. 

3.  Marl,  Cass  City,  Michigan,  same  analyst. 

4.  Marl,  Grass  Lake,  Michigan.  This  sample  was  dried  at  100 
degrees  centigrade,  dry  residue  42.11$.  Undetermined  3.569. 
Same  analyst. 

5.  Near  Grayling,  Michigan.  Average  sample  when  dried  lost 
61$  of  its  weight.  Same  analyst. 

6.  Same  sample,  but  figured  without  organic  matter. 

7.  From  lake  shore  near  Grand  Rapids.  This  sample  loses  6.376$ 
of  water  and  volatile  hydrocarbons  when  heated  to  100  degrees 
centigrade.  The  silica  is  not  sand.  The  0.235  moisture  is  com- 
bined water.  Phosphorus  as  tricalcic  phosphate.  It  also  contains 
chlorine  as  sodium  chloride,  0.119$.  Same  analyst. 

8.  Marl  from  Alpena,  Michigan.  Total  99.87. 

9.  Grass  Lake,  Michigan.  Was  collected  by  A.  C.  Lane  and 
analyzed  by  F.  S.  Kedzie. 

10.  Marl  at  Peninsular  Plant,  Cement  City,  Goose  Lake,  Mich. 
Total  99.98. 

11.  Marl  at  Cedar  Lake,  Montcalm  County.  Not  dried.  Ana- 
lyzed by  F.  S.  Kedzie. 

12.  Marl  near  Grayling,  Michigan.  M.  A.  C.  bulletin  99;  CaO 
45.16,  MgO  0.32;  K20  0.37.  Dried  marl  is  49$  of  original  weight  of 
sample. 

13.  This  sample  is  the  same  marl  as  11,  but  a different  sample 
and  figured  dry.  The  marls  as  taken  contained  9.95$  water.  F.  S. 
Kedzie  analyst. 

14.  Naubinway  marl.  World's  Fair  report,  p.  132. 

15.  Light  marl,  Michigan  Portland  Cement  Co.,  H.  E.  Brown, 
chemist. 

16.  Blue  marl,  Michigan  Portland  Cement  Co.,  H.  E.  Brown, 
chemist. 

Additional  analyses  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  the  report  under 
the  descriptions  of  individual  deposits,  by  reference  to  index.  See 
also  table  of  tests. 

Nearly  all  of  these  samples  are  very  high  in  calcium  carbonate 
and  are  well  fitted  for  the  manufacture  of  cement. 

5-Pt.  Ill 


34 


MARL. 


(3)  Interpretation. 

In  the  first  place  the  percentages  as  here  seen  represent  but  a 
small  portion  of  the  bed  as  it  is  gathered  in  sampling.  On  the 
other  hand  it  does  not  represent  the  true  proportion  of  compounds 
which  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  finished  cement.  The 
sample,  as  shown  in  many  of  the  remarks  in  the  key  given  above, 
is,  when  received  at  the  laboratory,  evaporated  to  dryness,  so  that 
water  evaporation  during  analysis  will  not  affect  the  final  percent- 
ages by  the  steady  loss  of  weight  of  the  sample  which  would  con- 
tinue to  dry.  In  evaporating  to  dryness  a sample  generally  loses 
from  40$  to  60$  of  its  weight,  or  in  other  words,  a bed  of  marl  as 
it  lies  ready  for  prospecting  is  at  least  half  water,  which  must  be 
lost  in  the  process  of  manufacture.  With  this  understanding  each 
compound  above  named  will  be  considered  separately. 

Calcium  Carbonate. 

This  is  the  one  necessary  compound  to  be  considered  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  cement.  It  should  be  at  least  90$  of  the  dried 
sample.  The  calcium  carbonate  is  derived  by  some  agent  from 
the  hard  wrater  of  the  lake  above  or  at  one  time  above  it. 

It  is  pure  wdiite  and  largely  influences  the  color  of  the  whole 
sample  of  marl  depending  upon  the  percentage  of  it  contained.  In 
the  process  of  analysis  the  calcium  carbonate  is  separated  into  two 
most  ordinary  compounds.  In  analyses  given  out  from  a labora- 
tory these  are  often  stated  separately,  a percentage  of  calcium 
oxide  and  one  of  carbon  dioxide  being  given,  part  of  the  carbon 
dioxide  belonging  originally  to  the  magnesium  carbonate.  In  such 
a case  the  easiest  way  to  get  from  the  stated  analysis  of  the  sample 
the  percentage  of  calcium  carbonate  is  to  add  to  the  stated  per- 
centage of  calcium  oxide  78.577  of  itself.  We  will  have,  within  a 
very  small  fraction  of  a per  cent,  the  amount  of  calcium  carbonate 
which  the  calcium  oxide  represents. 

In  the  process  of  manufacture  as  well  as  in  that  of  analysis,  the 
calcium  carbonate  is  broken  up  into  calcium  oxide  and  carbon 
dioxide.  The  carbon  dioxide,  which  is  a gas,  passes  off  as  a smoke 
and  is  not  of  any  use  in  the  finished  cement,  which  should  be  free 
from  it.  It  follows  from  this  that  after  the  50$  or  60$  of  water  is 
driven  off,  44$  of  the  percentage  of  calcium  carbonate  is.  lost  as 
gas  and  does  not  enter  into  combination  in  the  finished  cement. 
The  all  important  compound  CaC03  enters  the  factory  in  a wet, 
finely  divided  state,  best  fitted  for  mixing  it  most  easily  w-ith  clay, 


THE  USE  OF  MAUL  FOB  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  35 


is  dried,  then  heated,  expelling  the  carbon  dioxide  and  leaving  it 
as  calcium  oxide  surrounding  the  other  finely  divided  particles  of 
clay  which  contain  the  silica  to  be  made  soluble  by  the  action  of 
the  intense  heat  of  the  rotary  kiln. 

Magnesium  Carbonate. 

This  is  a compound  analogous  in  many  ways  to  the  calcium 
carbonate.  As  seen  in  the  above  analyses  it  exists  in  the  marl  in 
very  small  percentages.  This  is  the  case  when  the  marl  is  pure. 
A large  percentage  of  magnesium  carbonate  in  marl  as  pure  as 
the  above  would  not  be  characteristic  of  marl  as  a deposit.  It 
would  show  generally  that  some  clay  had  become  mixed  with  the 
marl.  For  in  such  cases,  when  clay  is  laid  down  at  the  level  of  marl 
or  during  the  deposit  of  marl,  it  generally  contains  a larger  per 
cent  of  magnesium  carbonate  than  does  the  marl,*  and  so  influences 
markedly  its  composition.  In  such  cases  the  percentage  of  insolu- 
ble matter,  or  silicates  and  aluminates  is  much  higher  than  in  the 
marls  given  above,  on  account  of  the  increase  in  per  cent  of  silica  in 
clay  over  that  in  the  natural  marl,  which  of  itself  would  contain  a 
low  per  cent  of  silica.  The  magnesium  carbonate  has  not  been 
found  to  add  to  the  real  value  of  the  marl,  and  it  is  certain  that  if 
it  is  present  in  any  large  amounts  it  will  be  a positive  detriment 
to  the  finished  cement.  As  the  marl  will  vary  from  day  to  day  in 
its  content  of  organic  matter  and  other  components  it  is  well  to 
have  the  dangerous  elements  as  much  as  possible  absent.  It  must 
also  be  remembered  that  one  of  the  greatest  troubles  is  too  much 
carbonates  in  clay.  For  this  reason  if  for  no  other  the  marl  should 
be  low  in  magnesia.  As  seen,  however,  in  the  above  analyses  the 
purer  marls  are  nearly  free  of  magnesium  carbonate  and  it  seldom 
causes  trouble  in  samples  with  a very  high  calcium  carbonate  con- 
tent. 

Ferric  oxide  and  alumina. 

These  are  very  likely  deposited  as  ferrous  hydrates  in  the  marl 
bed.  As  such  they  are  nearly  colorless.  When,  however,  a deep 
sample  of  very  white  marl  is  brought  to  the  surface  and  exposed 
to  the  air  for  some  time  it  may  turn  to  a red  or  brownish  red  tinge 
from  the  oxidation  of  iron.  These  are  seldom  deposited  in  the 
marl  in  amounts  to  cause  trouble.  A case  has  before  been  pointed 
out  where  a marl  with  high  content  of  organic  matter  showed  also 
a very  large  percentage  of  iron  and  aluminum  oxides.  This  fact  is 

*See  analyses  of  clay  given  elsewhere  in  this  report  and  in  Part  I. 


36 


MARL. 


remarkable,  that  an  intensely  iron  spring  may  discharge  its  highly 
mineral  waters  at  the  edge  of  a very  pure  marl  bed.  The  grass 
about  the  spring  will  be  covered  with  oxidized  iron  showing  a red 
slime  or  even  a bog  iron  effect,  but  the  marl  itself  is  not  influenced 
in  the  slightest.  It  will  generally  be  noticed  that  marls  with  the 
highest  organic  content  also  contain  the  highest  percentage  of 
iron  and  alumina. 

Insoluble  and  soluble  silica. 

The  per  cent  of  insoluble  silica  is  traceable  to  several  sources. 
First  of  all,  nearly  all  beds  contain  fine  quartz  sand  independent 
of  the  ordinary  coarse  drainage  sand  and  pebbles  that  may  be 
washed  into  the  bed  as  already  explained.  This  sand  can  some- 
times be  found  to  permeate  the  bed  from  top  to  bottom,  even  when 
the  bed  is  thirty  feet  deep.  If,  however,  there  is  a very  even  layer 
of  the  organic  lining  above  referred  to,  the  sand  does  not  seem  to 
penetrate  as  well,  if  at  all.  The  sand  will  be  found  in  the  purest 
beds  to  vary  from  a fraction  of  a per  cent  to  several  per  cent  in 
amount.  This  is  in  the  case  of  a comparatively  pure  marl.  In 
case  a clay  has  at  any  time  mixed  with  the  bed  the  content  of  insol- 
uble silica  will  vary,  but  will  remain  larger  together  with  other 
disturbing  features,  such  as  the  increase  in  magnesia  before  men- 
tioned. Sometimes  such  a condition  will  produce  an  increase  in 
content  of  magnesia  toward  the  bottom  of  the  bed,  while  in  a pure 
bed  little  if  any  regular  variation  of  magnesia  has  been  discoverable 
with  increase  in  depth  from  which  sample  may  have  been  taken. 

Soluble  silica. 

The  marl  is  intimately  associated  with  the  remains  of  plants, 
no  matter  how  pure  it  may  be  or  at  what  depth  it  may  be  sampled. 
The  same  may  be  said  in  regard  to  shells  although  samples  have 
been  found  where  the  shell  formation  could  not  be  traced.  It  is 
certain  that  plants,  especially  diatoms  in  the  course  of  their  growth, 
render  a very  small  amount  of  silica  soluble.  This  of  course 
would  remain  in  the  body  of  the  marl  after  the  death  of  the  plant. 
Certain  shells  are  said  to  have  the  same  power.  The  amount  of 
silica  in  a good  marl  is  very  small.  The  soluble  silica  will  not  be 
in  amount  to  help  or  hinder  greatly,  for,  as  may  be  seen  in  the 
analyses  cited,  it  is  but  a fraction  of  a per  cent.  The  insoluble 
silica  is,  however,  higher  in  per  cent  and  it  is  that  which  must  be 
watched  closely.  It  ought  not  to  exceed  three  or  four  per  cent  for 
the  reason  that  it  interferes  with  the  balancing  of  the  silica  and 


THE  USE  OF  MAIiL  FOB  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE.  37 


calcium  content  of  the  slurry  and  prevents  the  best  burning  of  the 
mixture.  Insoluble  silica  as  sand  is  one  of  the  most  refractory 
substances  known.  It  is  not  as  finely  divided  as  clay  silica,  does 
not  make  as  intimate  a mixture  with  the  lime  of  the  marl  and  does 
not  flux  so  easily.  Although  sand  marl  cement  can  be  made,  sand 
is  entirely  out  of  place  in  the  process  used  in  Michigan,  and  should 
be  guarded  against  carefully  in  the  selection  of  raw  material. 

Organic  matter. 

Organic  matter  is  a necessary  evil  in  relation  to  marl.  It  is  of 
no  positive  harm  except  that  it  increases  the  weight  and  bulk  of 
marl  without  adding  to  it  its  usefulness.  It  is  burned  out  as  nearly 
as  possible  in  the  manufacture  of  cement  and  all  that  remains  is 
ash.  As  noticed  in  the  sample  above  given,  where  the  calcium 
carbonate  content  falls  suddenly  it  is  nearly  balanced  by  increase 
in  organic  matter.  It  has  already  been  explained  how  profoundly 
organic  matter  influences  the  character  of  a bed.  The  law  of  its 
own  variation  can  be  depended  upon  to  hold  true  where  outside 
agents  have  not  also  contaminated  the  bed.  It  will  also  be  noticed 
that  in  the  very  pure  samples  where  organic  matter  is  nearly  ab- 
sent the  marl  has  but  a trace  of  other  compounds  beside  calcium 
carbonate  and  that  where  it  increases  in  a large  degree,  all  the 
elements  already  mentioned  spring  into  prominence  again.  If, 
then,  marl  is  very  free  from  organic  matter  it  is  liable  also  to  be 
free  from  dangerous  compounds.  If  it  is  high  in  organic-  matter  it 
will  be  bulky  to  handle,  will  not  yield  a large  percentage  of  calcium 
oxide  for  the  production  of  cement,  and  will  necessitate  continual 
watching  for  fear  of  dangerous  compounds. 

Sulphuric  and  phosphoric  acids,  chlorine,  etc. 

These  compounds,  if  present  in  large  quantities,  would  be 
dangerous.  They  cause  little  trouble  unless  the  marl  is  highly 
organic  when,  as  before  explained,  it  is  of  little  use  anyway.  Sul- 
phuric acid  is  often  present  in  dangerous  amounts  in  otherwise  com- 
mercial marls.  In  the  above  samples  some  have  been  given  in  full 
and  then  figured  without  the  organic  matter.  This  is  not  a true 
representation  of  the  real  value  of  the  sample  as  it  exists  in  the 
marl  bed  and  is  not  intended  as  such.  Care  should  be  taken  to  dis- 
count the  high  and  flattering  percentage  of  calcium  carbonate  shown 
by  such  an  analysis.  This  reconstruction  of  the  real  analysis  is  made 
to  determine  whether  or  not  the  dangerous  elements  would,  in  the 
burned  marl,  exist  in  sufficient  quantity  to  forbid  its  use.  The  per- 


38 


MAUL . 


centages  exist  in  such  reconstructed  analyses  as  they  would  enter 
into  the  formation  of  the  cement  and  directly  influence  its  forma- 
tion. Perhaps,  this  one  fact  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  in  the 
new  proportion  of  compounds  brought  about  by  burning,  the  carbon 
dioxide  derived  from  the  carbonates  of  calcium  and  magnesium  is 
driven  off  also  by  the  heat  before  the  marl  has  reached  the  propor- 
tions which  it  possesses  upon  incipient  vitrification.  In  order  then 
to  give  the  truest  percentage  estimate  of  the  marl  as  its  component 
parts  would  exist  when  ready  for  use,  the  analyses  should  be  figured 
with  both  organic  matter  and  carbon  dioxide  absent. 

Having  noticed  the  various  ingredients  and  their  variation,  the 
final  question  to  the  prospector  is  fitness  of  marl  as  shown  by 
analyses.  The  sample,  not  the  bed,  is  suitable  if  it  contains  90$ 
or  over  of  calcium  carbonate  and  no  dangerous  element  in  large 
proportions.  If  the  marl  runs  over  90$  of  calcium  carbonate  it  is 
not  liable  to  have  other  ingredients  in  dangerous  proportions,  pro- 
vided the  bed  is  a characteristic  deposit,  not  mixed  with  any  of  the 
adulterating  foreign  matters  before  mentioned.  As  a matter  of 
fact  it  would  be  hard  to  find  a bed,  all  samples  of  which  are  above 
90$  calcium  carbonate  of  depth  or  extent  suitable  for  manufactur- 
ing purposes.  The  reason  for  this  is  the  steady  variation  of  organic 
matter  before  mentioned. 

§ 9.  Location  and  size  of  bed. 

Besides  quality  of  the  marl  there  are  other  points  worthy  of 
notice.  Is  the  bed  located  on  a railroad  or  one  of  the  Great  Lakes? 
If  it  is  found  necessary  to  build  a railroad  to  the  deposit,  the  extra 
cost  must  be  reckoned,  compared  with  competing  raw  material  more 
favorably  located.  If  the  bed  is  located  where  vessels  can  easily 
reach  it  from  the  Great  Lakes,  it  has  one  of  the  best  natural  ad- 
vantages. 

The  expression  has  often  been  heard,  upon  the  sounding  of  a 
small  bed  of  marl  to  the  depth  of  15  or  20  feet,  “Oh,  here  is  marl  to 
last  for  years.”  Besides  quality  and  location,  the  size  is  the  third 
vital  point  always  under  consideration,  and  one  which  the  owner 
should  be  able  to  determine  himself.  To  illustrate  the  point  clearly, 
the  changes  which  the  marl  undergoes  up  to  the  time  of  partial 
vitrification,  will  be  reviewed  as  nearly  as  possible. 

The  marl  as  it  lies  in  ordinary  swamp  consists  of  from  40$  to 
60$  by  weight  of  water.  First  this  water  must  be  evaporated  from 


THE  USE  OF  MARL  FOR  CEMENT  MANUFACTURE . 39 

the  slurry  and  then  whatever  organic  matter  is  contained  in  the 
marl  must  be  oxidized,  burned  out,  passing  away  to  remain  func- 
tionless in  the  finished  cement.  Still  another  important  shrinkage 
in  volume  and  weight  must  take  place.  The  remaining  useful 
calcium  carbonate  is  also  oxidized,  losing  44$  of  its  weight  in  the 
form  of  carbon  dioxide,  which  passes  off  as  gas  with  the  smoke  of 
the  kiln.  Shrinkage  or  gain  in  weight  of  the  other  ingredients  is 
slight  on  account  of  their  small  percentage. 

Take  for  example,  sample  No.  5 of  the  foregoing  analyses. 

(1)  100$  less  61$  equals  39$  dry  marl. 

(2)  87$  of  39$  equals  33.93$  of  original  wet  marl  as  calcium  car- 
bonate. 

(3)  Calcium  oxide  is  always  56$  of  a given  weight  of  calcium 
carbonate. 

(4)  56$  of  33.93  equals  19$  of  original  weight  of  wet  marl  as 
calcium  oxide. 

Of  sample  No.  5,  but  19$  therefore  of  the  weight  of  the  sample 
as  it  was  taken  from  the  marsh,  enters  into  the  final  weight  of 
finished  cement  as  an  active  cementing  agent.  Nearly  all  of  the 
remainder  passes  off  as  useless  gas  or  as  water  requiring  great 
expense  in  heat  to  evaporate  it.  While  this  sample  is  rather  low 
in  calcium  carbonate,  probably  the  very  best  samples  of  fairly  wet 
marl  could  not  show  above  25$  calcium  oxide  available  after  burn- 
ing. This  has  a direct  bearing  upon  the  question  of  area  and  depth 
of  marl  necessary  for  cement  manufacture.  The  estimates  given 
by  the  factories  in  active  operation  in  the  State,  figure  1J  to  2 
cubic  yards  of  marl  as  equal  to  one  barrel  of  Portland  Cement. 
This  would  vary  according  to  the  purity  of  the  marl  and  the  amount 
of  water  contained.  The  water  is  a necessary  evil;  by  the  wet  or 
slurry  process  there  must  be  enough  water  so  that  the  marl  will 
mix  and  pump  readily,  though,  after  mixing  all  the  water  must 
be  evaporated  in  the  burning  which  requires  expense  in  fuel.  Tak- 
ing 1J  cubic  yards  as  the  equivalent  of  one  barrel  of  cement  it 
will  be  well  to  calculate  the  consumption  of  an  ordinary  fourteen 
rotary  mill. 

(1)  1|  cu.  yds.  equal  40.5  square  feet  of  marl  one  foot  deep. 

(2)  14  rotary  mill  produces  1000  barrels  cement  per  day. 

(3)  1000  times  40.5  equals  40,500  cubic  feet  of  marl  per  day 
consumed. 


40 


MARL. 


(4)  43,560  square  feet  equal  to  one  acre. 

(5)  Dividing  43,560  by  40,500  we  find  there  are  1.0755  days  work 
in  an  acre  one  foot  thick. 

(6)  In  200  acres  200  times  1.0755  equal  215.1  days  work.  This  is 
about  the  number  of  days  the  factory  would  run  out  of  a year.  If 
the  deposit  were  25  feet  thick,  such  a deposit  100  acres  in  area 
would  run  a 14  rotary  factory  25  years.  Such  a rate  of  consump- 
tion of  raw  material  seems  enormous  and  according  to  this  esti- 
mate there  are  few  single  beds  of  marl  that  would  furnish  raw 
material  for  a length  of  time  to  guarantee  the  erection  of  a plant. 
Certainly  at  strip  of  marl  75  to  100  acres  in  area  would  scarcely 
warrant  the  erection  of  a large  mill.  The  largest  cement  corpora- 
tions in  the  State  buy  all  the  marl  in  a given  vicinity  comprising 
several  lakes.  In  considering  the  largest  area  of  bed  for  one 
factory  it  must  be  remembered  that  marl  cannot  be  transported 
any  distance  to  a factory.  The  factory  must  be  located  on  or  very 
near  the  bed.  The  immense  shrinkage  in  volume  of  marl  during 
process  of  manufacture  has  already  been  shown.  The  expense  of 
carrying  marl  any  distance  cannot  be  met  when  competing  with 
other  factories  located  on  their  beds  and  with  the  immense  lime- 
stone districts  of  other  parts  of  the  country.* 

In  conclusion,  a marl  must  be  of  the  best  and  the  most  uniform 
quality,  it  must  be  free  from  its  natural  adulterants,  it  must  be 
located  near  some  waterway  or  on  a railroad,  must  be  15  or  25  feet 
in  thickness  over  an  area  of  several  hundred  acres.  Such  qualifica- 
tions all  included  in  one  vicinity,  are  very  difficult  to  find.  High 
quality  throughout,  unlimited  quantity,  and  fine  natural  location 
are  necessary,  for  a good  article  must  be  manufactured  and  shipped 
easily  and  cheaply  and  upon  an  enormous  scale  to  make  the  manu- 
facture of  marl  a very  paying  and  useful  industry  in  the  State. 


•Compare,  however,  what  is  said  concerning  the  Hecla  Portland  Cement  Co. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 

§ 1.  Introduction — the  various  theories. 

An  effort  will  be  made  to  give  all  the  ideas  obtainable  upon  this 
phase  of  the  subject.  It  is  fact  and  no  more  than  natural,  that 
every  one  who  has  examined  marl  deposits  has  some  one  view  as 
to  the  origin  of  so  peculiar  a resource.  With  the  knowledge  the 
prospector  now  has  of  the  nature  of  marl  it  would  be  very  helpful 
to  arrive  at  a correct  conclusion  as  to  the  origin  of  marl  deposits. 
This  would  rapidly  aid  in  pointing  out  the  most  probable  location 
of  the  marl  and  would  prepare  the  explorer  somewhat  beforehand 
as  to  the  exact  quality  of  the  marl  and  would  inform  him  as  to  the 
necessity  of  a more  or  less  minute  examination  of  different  parts 
of  the  bed  to  pass  upon  its  fitness  for  practical  purposes. 

A scientific  conclusion  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  marl  is  also  a 
small  contribution  to  the  exact  knowledge  of  the  geology  of  the 
State  of  Michigan  and  as  such  should  be  of  permanent  scientific 
value.  In  the  hope  that  out  of  many  opinions  the  truth  will  finally 
come,  space  is  given  in  this  place  to  all  views  obtainable  upon  the 
origin  of  marl.  Prof.  Davis’s  work  on  the  subject  is  given  a sep- 
arate chapter  (Chap.  Y),  while  the  others  will  be  stated  as  clearly  as 
possible  under  this  heading.* 

(1)  Shell  theory. 

The  idea  has  often  been  expressed  by  those  who  examine  a bed 
that  shells  are  the  origin  of  marl.  There  are  certainly  beds  that 
verify  this  statement.  Some  are  beds  of  nearly  solid  shells,  and 
shells  too  that  are  well  preserved  to  a depth  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet.  In  such  cases,  no  doubt,  the  location  of  the  bed  has  been 
especially  favorable  to  the  formation  of  shells.  Samples  of  shell 
formation  from  Florida  have  been  seen  where  the  shells  formed  a 

*Some  farther  suggestions,  and  observations,  microscopic  and  otherwise,  by  me, 
will  be  found  in  the  last  chapter.  L. 

6-Pt.  Ill 


42 


MARL. 


calcareous  mass  of  shells  and  their  broken  down  remains,  very 
similar  to  the  purely  shell  marl  of  our  own  State. 

(2)  Sedimentary  theory. 

This  theory  is  that  the  lime  existing  as  it  does  in  our  State  in 
fine  particles  distributed  through  the  soil,  was  washed  by  the  ac- 
tion of  the  water  from  the  pebbles  and  limestone  rock  of  the  State 
during  the  glacial  period.  That  after  the  ice  had  melted  the  lime- 
stone sediment  of  finely  ground  rock  was  washed  into  the  drainage 
valleys  left  by  the  ice  in  melting,  and  formed  a fine  sediment  much 
like  a clay,  but  being  of  a different  density  than  clay,  was  deposited 
separately,  forming  the  beds  we  now  have.*  This  idea  was  sug- 
gested by  H.  P.  Parmelee. 

(3)  Chemical  theory. 

This  theory,  one  that  was  found  to  be  held  by  many  chemists  of 
the  State,  is  at  least,  a very  plausible  solution  of  the  cause  of 
the  formation  of  marl.  It  is  based  on  this  fact  or  principle  in  chem- 
istry. Carbon  dioxide  by  its  presence  in  water  aids  it  in  holding 
in  solution  a greater  amount  of  calcium  and  magnesium  carbonates. 
The  minerals  are  held  in  the  form  of  double  carbonates  of  calcium 
and  magnesium.  When  a water  containing  carbon  dioxide  under 
pressure  and  a larger  amount  of  the  carbonates  than  it  could  other- 
wise hold  in  solution  without  the  presence  of  the  carbon  dioxide 
escapes  from  confinement  underground,  and  is  exposed  to 
the  air,  the  carbon  dioxide  as  a gas,  escapes  and  the  carbon- 
ates, no  longer  held  in  solution  by  the  presence  of  the  gas, 
are  precipitated  as  simple  carbonates  of  calcium  and  magnesium. 
There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  such  a reaction  takes  place  in 
many  instances  which  can  be  cited  in  nature.  The  idea  here  held 
is  that  all  the  conditions  are  correct  for  such  reaction.  The  water 
of  our  springs  is  confined  in  underground  waterways,  or  better, 
reservoirs.  The  gas  cannot  escape  and  is  under  pressure.  The 
carbonates  washed  from  the  soil  and  lime  rock  are  in  the  water 
and  in  solution  as  evinced  by  its  clearness.  When  the  spring  flows 
out  from  beneath  a hill  the  water  spreads  out  in  the  calm  inland 
lake,  is  released  from  pressure  and  perhaps  warmed,  and  the  gas 
escapes,  and  the  carbonates  are  precipitated  to  the  bottom  in  the 
form  of  a marl.  Such  is  this  popular  and  striking  theory.  It  has 
much  to  recommend  it.  Some  if  not  all  the  conditions  named  are 

* Or  possibly  where  the  rock  was  practically  all  limestone,  the  glacial  rock  flour  might  be 
almost  wholly  composed  of  calcium  carbonate.  L. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL.  43 


present.  The  cases  in  nature  where  such  change  undoubtedly  takes 
place  are  to  be  found  in  our  mineral  springs  of  the  West  and 
Europe,  and  in  calcareous  tufa  of  our  own  State.  The  heavy 
mineral  springs  are  surrounded  at  their  very  openings  by  the 
minerals  precipitated  from  them  as  the  waters  issue.  In  most 
of  these  cases  the  process  of  precipitation  has  been  aided  by  the 
cooling  of  the  waters  which  are  very  hot.  Hot  water  such  as  these 
contain  will  also  take  into  solution  a much  greater  percentage  of 
minerals. 

From  the  above  comparison  it  will  be  seen  that  though  minerals 
are  somehow  precipitated  in  both  cases,  the  conditions  are  not 
exactly  identical  and  it  would  be  dangerous,  therefore,  to  reason 
from  one  to  the  others. 

The  conclusions  reached  in  the  search  for  an  origin  for  marl 
deposits  are  much  the  same  as  those  reached  by  Prof.  Davis  in  his 
report,  which  is  given  in  full  in  Chapter  V.  The  endeavor 
will  be  made  in  the  following  pages  to  show  wherein  the  several 
theories  above  named  point  to  the  real  causes  of  the  formation  of 
marl,  and  also  to  record  the  steps  taken  to  test  the  relative  value 
of  the  same,  as  made  in  the  special  survey  of  the  State  requested 
of  me  by  the  State  Geologist. 

§ 2.  Shells. 

Shells  form  a greater  or  less  part  of  a marl  bed.  Their  presence 
is  sure  evidence  that  they  are  an  agent  in  the  origination  of  a bed. 
An  analysis  of  pure  shells  from  a marl  bed  shows  that  they  help 
to  form  the  purest  part  of  the  bed  and  that  the  proportion  of  their 
compounds  as  compared  to  that  of  a very  pure  marl  without  shells 
is  very  nearly  the  same.  They  are,  however,  but  a minor  agent  in 
the  formation  of  most  beds.  Their  existence  and  plentiful  growth 
depend  upon  much  the  same  causes  which  are  responsible  for  the 
principal  agent  of  cement  formation.  They  are  therefore  plentiful 
in  most  beds  in  the  marl,  because  they  are  produced  at  the  same 
time  and  under  the  same  conditions  as  the  marl.  Many  marl  beds 
may  be  seen  on  the  other  hand,  which  contain  few  if  any  shells. 
They  are  not  broken  down  so  that  their  identity  is  lost,  as  many 
would  have  us  believe,  for  where  shells  exist  in  a bed,  they  may  be 
seen  at  some  depth,  delicate  and  frail  but  perfect  in  outline,  so 
that  if  they  are  the  sole  cause  of  marl  their  fellows  should  have 
remained  in  great  numbers  and  many  partly  broken  down,  instead 
of  here  and  there  a perfect  shell  at  fifteen  and  twenty  feet  below 


44 


MARL. 


the  surface.  In  soundings  of  twenty  to  fifty  feet  beneath  the  sur 
face  of  the  water  under  that  many  feet  of  marl  or  in  the  center  of 
a lake,  they  are  nearly  and  often  entirely  absent.  They  could 
scarcely  be  held  responsible  for  the  presence  of  marl  in  such  quan- 
tity at  that  depth. 

§ 3.  Sedimentary  theory. 

Among  all  reasoners  upon  the  subject  there  is  no  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  ultimate  source  of  marl.  It  certainly  came  from 
limestone  through  erosion  and  the  carrying  power  of  water.  An- 
other basis  point  of  this  theory  is  also  true.  Marl  is  deposited 
much  like  a sediment.  It  lies  very  evenly  unless  disturbed  by 
sudden  jumps  in  the  outline  of  the  lake  bottom.  Further  proof 
of  the  theory  does  not  appear  to  exist.  Marl  deposits  do  not  seem 
to  occur  regularly  in  given  districts,  they  do  not  appear  to  extend 
in  a given  direction  and  so  far  this  theory  has  not  assisted  in  the 
location  or  accounted  for  the  peculiar  facts  which  hold  good  in  this 
formation.* 

§ 4.  Chemical  theory. 

According  to  the  theory  of  simple  chemical  precipitation  of  marl 
from  spring  waters,  the  marl  should  be  deepest,  piled  or  crusted 
about  the  mouths  of  these  springs  and  stopping  by  its  accumula- 
tion their  outlets.  Such  is  not  the  case  as  the  marl  does  not  con- 
fine itself  to  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  these  springs  which 
are  in  most  cases  surrounded  by  sand  or  muck. 

According  to  this  same  theory,  if  the  water  managed  to  escape 
and  mingle  in  the  lake  beyond,  the  marl  should  then  deposit  evenly 
all  over  the  bottom  of  the  lake  as  it  does  in  depositing  in  a kettle 
or  basin.  This  is  also  contrary  to  fact  as  marl  is  very  intermittent, 
in  its  deposit,  is  often  not  deepest  in  the  deepest  portions  of  the 
lake,  and  does  seldom  form  a layer  continuous  and  even  over  an 
entire  lake  bottom.  Another  question  of  importance  is  this:  Is 

there  with  the  relative  proportions  of  carbon  dioxide  and  carbon- 
ates existing  in  our  inland  lakes  to-day  more  than  enough  of  the 
latter  to  exhaust  the  power  of  the  water  at  its  ordinary  tempera- 
ture and  pressure  to  hold  in  solution  the  percentages  of  carbonates 
existing  in  these  waters,  or  will  the  spring  water  not  be  able  to 
easily  hold  in  solution  the  small  amount  of  carbonates  with  or 
without  the  free  carbon  dioxide?  If  the  calcium  carbonate  is  not 

*It  does  apply  to  some  of  the  fine  grained  calcareous  clays,  such  as  those  used 
for  white  brick  at  various  points.  But  in  no  case  is  the  separation  of  calcium 
carbonate  mud  from  other  mud  anywhere  near  as  perfect  as  in  the  bog  lime.  L. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 


45 


great  enough  to  overburden  the  water  it  can  be  held  in  solution  in 
the  lake  with  or  without  the  presence  of  the  free  carbon  dioxide. 
In  this  case  the  carbon  dioxide  can  escape  from  the  water  or  re- 
main with  it,  but  the  water  can  yet  hold  in  solution  its  salts  of 
calcium  and  magnesium  and  carry  them  out  of  the  lake  without 
depositing  them  as  marl. 

Two  facts  are  to  be  ascertained  before  this  theory  can  show  the 
necessary  conditions  under  which  it  may  be  possible  to  operate. 

(1)  What  is  the  point  of  solubility  of  our  spring  waters,  or  the  per- 
centage of  those  salts  necessary  to  produce  over  saturated  solution? 

(2)  Is  the  percentage  of  calcium  and  magnesium  salts  in  the  ground 
water  below  or  above  the  percentage?  If  below  the  theory  must 
be  groundless  for  it  must  be  above  in  all  cases  supplying  a cause 
for  all  phenomena  in  regard  to  the  formation  of  marl. 

(1)  The  point  of  saturation  of  spring  waters  and  the  influence 
of  carbon  dioxide  upon  the  same. 

After  search  the  carefully  conducted  series  of  experiments  of 
Treadwell  and  Reuter  upon  the  solubility  of  carbonates  was  found 
by  the  State  Geologist  and  an  abstract,  translated  from  the  Ger- 
man by  him,  will  be  found  elsewhere. 

(2)  We  have  to  compare  with  the  results  of  these  experiments 
the  actual  proportions  of  calcium  carbonates  existing  in  the  spring 
waters  of  lakes  and  springs  of  Michigan,  as  given  below.  (See 
page  46  and  also  the  hardness  tests  of  Cloverdale  on  page  131.) 

According  to  Treadwell  and  Reuter’s  carefully  made  experiments, 
water  at  ordinary  temperature  and  pressure  containing  no  free 
C02  may  yet  contain  permanently  0.38509  grams  of  calcium  bicar- 
bonate or  .238  CaC03  per  liter,  while  the  authorities  quoted  below 
estimate  it  at  differing  temperatures  and  pressures  from  .7003  to 
3.  per  liter.  Now  the  analyses  of  waters  from  Michigan  show  a 
content  of  calcium  carbonate  from  .175  to  .250  grams  per  liter  or 
175  to  250  parts  in  a million.  With  this  in  mind  it  can  easily  be 


46 


MARL. 


ANALYSES  OF  JARS  OF  WATER  FROM  CLOVERDALE  DISTRICT  BY  A.  N.  CLARK 
FOR  STATE  GEOLOGIST  AT  MICHIGAN  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  LAB- 
ORATORY. INTENDED  TO  BE  TIGHTLY  SEALED  AND  PROMPTLY 
ANALYZED  BUT  NOT  THOROUGHLY  SATISFACTORY, 

C02  NOT  ENTIRELY  RELIABLE.  RESULTS 
STATED  IN  PARTS  IN  1,000,000. 


Number 

of 

Sample. 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 


15 


16 

17. 

18. 
?9 
20 

21. 


Location. 


Boiling  spring  at  the  head  of  Long  Lake 

Water  at  outlet  of  Long  Lake,  running  creek 

Well  in  vicinity 

Large  boiling  spring  near  sounding,  No.  41 

Horseshoe  Lake,  between  sounding  39  and  40,  in  50 

feet  of  water 

From  bottom  of  marl  basin  in  10  feet  of  water,  sound- 
ing 45 *. 

Surface  of  basin.  Marl  6 inches  beneath  water  sur- 
face  

Spring  at  side  of  Horseshoe  Lake  (N.lobe,  not  sounded) 
Spring  at  head  of  Guernsey  Lake,  surrrounded  by 

gravel 

Surface  water  at  Guernsey  Lake 

Water  at  bottom  of  Mud  Lake  (35  feet)  with  18  parts 

per  million  dissolved  Fe203  & A 1203  

Water  from  surface  of  Mud  Lake 

Seepage  spring  on  Mud  Lake 

Water  from  well  on  divide  between  Long  and  Mud 
Lakes,  35  feet.  Quicksand  at  18  feet,  with  12  parts 

dissolved,  Fe203  & A1203 

Water  from  drive  well  25  feet  into  spring,  which  for- 
merly emptied  into  Long  Lake,  between  Long  and 

Mud  Lakes:  with  21  parts  dissolved  Fe203  & A1203 

Stagnant  water  in  ditch  which  formerly  connected 
Mud  Lake  and  Long  Lake.  Metallic  scum  and  red 

bottom;  with  16  parts  dissolved  Fe203  & Al2  03 

Water  from  well  on  high  divide  between  Long  and 
Twenty-One  Lakes;  with  50  parts  of  Fe203  & A1203. .. 

Spring  above  level  of  Pine  Lake 

Outlet  from  Pine  Lake,  Pine  Creek 

Large  boiling  spring  near  outlet  of  Pine  Lake 

In  25  feet  of  water,  center  of  Pine  Lake 


irbon 

oxide. 

Calcium 

Carbon- 

ate. 

Magne- 
sium Car- 
bonate. 

0.00 

100.00 

67.80 

44.00 

217.00 

100.00 

3.30 

160.00 

69.7 

19.3 

200.00 

75.3 

19.8 

117.00 

85.6 

6. 

100.00 

75.6 

70. 

58. 

15.4 

160. 

81.7 

66. 

130. 

61.3 

0. 

40. 

71.1 

6.6 

53.6 

trace 

0. 

30. 

trace. 

0. 

80. 

62. 

60. 

80. 

28. 

39.6 

240. 

116. 

44. 

48. 

16.6 

39.6 

156. 

203.4 

22. 

170. 

80.2 

6.6 

80. 

76.6 

11. 

136. 

81.7 

6.7 

80. 

69.6 

4.4 

87. 

75. 

WATER  OF  OTHER  REGIONS  ANALYZED  FOR  CARBONATES.* 


Location. 

Free  C02. 

CaC03 

MgC03. 

Fremont  flowing  well 

0 

100 

Water,  spring  in  marl  bottoms,  Corrinne 

26.40 

210 

Water  at  Straits  of  Mackinac 

0 

130 

Traverse  Bay  at  Traverse  City — 

0 

150 

Duck  Lake  near  Green  Lake.  Spring  at  head  of  lake 

Marl 

Outlet  of  Duck  Lake.  Sandy  bottom 

0 

165 

W ater  south  end  of  Central  Lake 

24.2 

0 

'200 

Clear  water  of  Mound  Spring  near  Central  Lake 

190 

Water  in  spring  100  feet  above  Central  Lake 

0 

190 

Flowing  woll  in  F.a.st,  .Torda.n  

o 

210 

Kettle  near  Manistee  Junction,  is  15  or  20  feet  lower  than 
Round  Lake  near  by;  it  is  supposed  to  discharge  by  an 
underground  channel  in  the  Pere  Marquette  River 

0 

110 

T.ong  T,n.lfp  Ma.nist.oo  .Tnnotinn  rod  wa.t.or 

0 

205 

Water,  Round  Lake,  Manistee  Junction  

0 

185 

Outlet  of  Long  and  Round  Lakes  Manistee  Junction 

6.60 

175 

* The  content  of  C02  here  given  cannot  be  relied  on  as  the  bottles  were  stoppered  with 
cork,  permitting  the  escape  of  the  gas.  Analyzed  by  A.  N.  Clark  at  the  M.  A.  C.  Laboratory. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL.  47 


seen  that  the  carbonated  waters  of  our  springs  and  marl  lakes  are 
generally  far  below  the  point  of  precipitation.  The  water  of  these 
springs  and  lakes  could  take  into  solution  100  or  more  parts  in  a 
million  of  calcium  carbonate  instead  of  being  over  burdened  and 
precipitating  them  in  marl.*  It  appears  very  clearly  that  Tread- 
well and  Reuter’s  experiments  are  carried  on  under  artificially 
produced  conditions  which  tally  closely  with  those  found  in  our 
springs  and  lakes.  They  have  decided  for  us  carefully  the  precipi- 
tating point  at  which  carbonated  waters  with  various  pressures 
of  free  C02,  and  temperatures  usually  59°  F.  cease  to  bear  in  solu- 
tion carbonates  in  the  form  of  the  bicarbonate.  They  find  that 
point  above  that  of  Michigan  spring  waters,  or  in  other  words 
show  very  clearly  that  our  spring  water  can  generally  take  more 
salts  into  solution  instead  of  being  ready  with  slight  changes  of 
temperature  and  pressure  to  precipitate  those  which  they  already 
carry.  In  other  words  our  spring  waters  cannot  precipitate  their 
bicarbonate  as  marl  by  the  simple  chemical  process  of  precipitation 
from  a saturated  solution,  because  they  lack  considerable  of  being 
saturated. 

§ 5.  Indications  by  circumstances  of  occurrence. 

In  discussing  the  origin  of  marl  to  form  as  perfect  a chain  of 
evidence  as  possible  the  conditions  obtaining  must  be  determined 
as  accurately  as  possible. 

If  aualogies  are  used  as  proofs  the  conditions  in  both  analogies 
must  be  alike.  If  this  is  not  followed  fatal  mistakes  are  likely  to 
occur. 

An  agent  has  produced  an  effect  which  is  before  us  in  the  form 
of  marl  beds.  The  bearing  of  the  facts  concerning  position,  com- 
position, variation  in  composition,  location,  variation  in  depth, 
foundation  or  basis  and  covering,  which  we  have  described,  should 
be  studied  with  this  in  mind:  The  marl  beds  lie  upon  the  surface 

or  in  the  present  geologic  stratum,  and  since  they  are  not  covered 
by  any  great  thickness  of  earth  and  are  clearly  produced  since  the 


*Compare  also  the  analyses  in  U.  S.  G.  S.,  Water  Supply  Paper  No.  31. 


48 


MARL. 


glacial  period  from  the  fact  that  they  lie  in  the  hollows  left  by  the 
glaciers,  the  agencies  producing  them  must  be  modern  as  well. 

Marl  has  been  described  elsewhere  as  a complex  compound.  In 
the  impure  marl  there  are  large  percentages  of  insoluble  matter 
which  can  readily  be  traced  to  the  presence  of  foreign  clay,  sand 
and  organic  matter.  It  can  be  readily  seen  that  these  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  production  of  marl  and  therefore  the  very  purest 
samples  of  marl  must  be  considered  in  order  to  arrive  at  a conclu- 
sion in  regard  to  its  origin.  As  marl  is  analyzed  in  the  laboratory 
it  consists  of  calcium  carbonate,  forming  nearly  the  entire  percentage, 
magnesium  carbonate  (always  in  very  small  percentages,  that  is, 
in  the  very  pure  sample),  iron  and  alumina,  organic  matter  and 
traces  of  sulphuric  acid  and  sometimes  phosphates. 

The  following  is  the  analysis  of  such  marl: 


Calcium  carbonate  95.281 

Magnesium  carbonate  .946 

Ferric  oxide  .536 

Alumina  .159 

Silica  insoluble  1.205 

Silica  soluble 1.316 

Organic  matter  1.510 

Water 300 

Phosphoric  acid  traces. 

Sulphuric  acid  slight  traces. 

Chlorine slight  traces. 

Alkalies traces. 


Total  101.203 


Very  likely  such  a marl  as  the  foregoing  is  as  nearly  as  possible 
to  purity  as  can  be  obtained.  The  content  of  organic  matter  is 
too  low  to  be  typical,  while  the  content  of  soluble  and  insoluble 
silicates  is  a trifle  high. 

There  is  always  the  marked  difference  in  percentage  between 
magnesium  and  calcium  carbonates  above,  excepting  when  a clay 
forms  a part  of  the  deposit,  when  the  percentage  of  magnesium 
carbonate  may  increase  to  large  percentages.  In  very  pure  marls 
or  in  those  containing  90$  and  over  of  calcium  carbonate,  the 
magnesia  does  not  form  any  large  proportion.  It  is  noticeable 
that  in  the  study  of  deposits  for  factory  purposes,  it  is  found  that 
where  other  impurities  increase  the  magnesia  increases  as  well. 
The  only  direct  source  of  carbonates  about  to  be  studied  is  the 
water  which  in  all  cases  lies  or  has  at  one  time  lain  above  the 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan.  Vol.  VIII.  Part  III.  Plate  II. 


■J*  3 o 3$ 


» 4 V.O  it 


No.  6. 


HORSESHOE  LAKE,  CLOVERDALE  DISTRICT,  T.  2 N.,  R.  9 WEST,  WITH 
DIAGRAMS  OF  SOUNDINGS. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 


4<> 


deposit.  Now  if  all  the  salts  contained  in  the  hard  water  were 
precipitated,  the  proportions  between  the  calcium  and  magnesium 
in  the  water  should  be  the  same  as  the  proportion  of  calcium  and 
magnesium  in  the  marl.  Such  is  not  at  all  the  case.  Notice  in 
the  foregoing  analyses  of  waters  from  springs  and  lakes  about 
Cloverdale  (pp.  20  and  21),  that  the  proportion  of  calcium  carbon- 
ate to  magnesium  carbonate  is  about  2 : 1.  No  analysis  of  marl 
was  ever  seen  in  which  the  proportion  was  anywhere  nearly  equal,* 
the  proportion  of  90  : 3 being  the  most  typical.  This  brings  to  light 
a very  important  principle  or  lack  of  principle  ruling  the  formation 
of  marl  and  as  it  occurs  with  other  compounds  besides  magnesia 
it  will  be  well  to  notice  it  in  the  outset,  to  wit,  the  lack  of  the  rela- 
tionship as  established  between  the  compounds  in  the  water  and 
the  compounds  in  the  marl.  This  is  most  easily  illustrated  by  the 
wide  distance  between  percentages  of  calcium  carbonate  and  mag- 
nesium carbonate  in  the  marl  deposit.  As  found  in  water  CaC03  : 
MgC03  ::2  : 1,  but  in  marl  ::  90  : 3.  In  relationship  of  iron  and 
alumina  it  cannot  be  shown  as  well  that  they  differ  because  in 
both  marl  and  water  they  are  found  in  much  smaller  amounts. 
They  are  always  very  low  in  the  purest  marls.  Especial  search  has 
been  made  for  bog  iron  in  the  presence  of  marls.  Here  we  meet 
a very  interesting  fact;  marl  does  not  occur  in  admixture  or  in  the 
immediate  presence  of  bog  iron  ore.  One  locality  was  noticed 
where  a marl  lake  was  drained  by  a creek  that  had  bog  iron  ore 
along  its  course,  but  no  bog  iron  could  be  found  in,  or  immediately 
surrounding  the  marl.  There  is  only  one  case  in  which  the  iron 
may  increase  to  any  appreciable  extent.  This  is  in  deep  water 
soundings  where  the  marl  has  been  displaced  by  a mucky  marl.' 
Such  was  the  case  in  the  following  sample  of  muck-marl  found  in 
54  feet  of  water  at  center  of  Horseshoe  Lake,  Cloverdale  region: 

per  cent. 


Insoluble  15.14^ 

Fe203  (A1o03)  13.73 

CaC03  43.13 

MgC03  1.66 

Organic  matter  26.34 


The  surprising  features  of  this  analysis  are  the  high  per  cent  of 
iron  and  aluminum  oxides  and  organic  matter. 

♦This  may  perhaps  be  accounted  for  upon  the  chemical  theory  by  greater 
solubility  of  magnesium  salts,  for  we  have  as  yet  no  exact  data  as  to  the  relative 
solubility  of  the  calcium  and  magnesium  carbonates,  and  yet  it  is  not  likely  that  so 
great  a difference  would  exist.  L. 

7-PT.  Ill 


50 


MARL. 


The  chemical  agency  in  the  deposit  of  iron  oxide  must  therefore 
be  different  in  the  case  of  springs  from  that  working  in  the  marl 
beds  into  which  these  same  springs  empty.  For  example,  an  in- 
tensely hard  water  spring  is  seen  to  empty  into  a pure  marl  lake. 
The  growth  of  water  plants  along  from  the  spring  is  coated  with  a 
thick  deposit  of  iron  oxide.  No  marl  is  deposited.  On  the  other 
hand,  in  the  lake  immediately  below  there  are  but  traces  of  iron 
and  nearly  all  the  deposit  is  calcium'  carbonate.  This  leads  us  to 
conclude  that  the  agencies  most  active  in  the  precipitation  of  iron 
and  calcium  are  different  at  the  spring  and  in  the  marl  bed  as  the 
same  water  furnishes  material  for  both.  There  is  plenty  of  iron 
left  for  precipitation  in  the  lake  as  the  waters  emptying  out  of  the 
same  show  about  the  same  percentage  of  iron. 

Sulphuric  and  phosphoric  acid  are  usually  estimated  as  salts. 
In  the  purest  marls  they  are  scarcely  ever  far  above  0.30$.  In  deep 
specimens  where  there  are  large  proportions  of  organic  matter 
they  sometimes  run  higher. 

The  organic  matter  is  a component  part  of  every  marl  which 
plays  a very  important  part  in  its  history.  As  we  speak  now  of 
the  purest  marls  only,  it  is  here  found  in  small  percentages.  It 
can  never  really  be  said  to  be  absent  and  is  that  compound  or  con- 
stituent part  of  the  marl  which  is  the  most  widely  fluctuating. 
There  are  found  certain  exceptions  (see  Lime  Lake,  p.  133)  where 
the  marl  is  a nearly  solid  shell  bed.  In  such  a case,  the  conditions 
having  been  always  favorable  to  the  growth  of  shells,  the  quality 
remains  constant  even  at  a great  depth.  The  ordinary  marl  bed 
varies  in  composition.  It  is  very  much  higher  in  content  of  organic 
matter  at  the  bottom  than  at  the  top.  It  often  happens  in  a bed 
thirty  feet  in  depth  that  at  the  top  it  is  95$  CaC03  and  at  the 
bottom  65$  to  80$.  The  change  is  generally  due  to  increase  in 
organic  matter  at  the  expense  of  the  content  of  calcium  carbonate. 
In  a lake,  of  which  the  bottom  is  entirely  covered  with  marl  and 
the  shallows  around  the  shores  consist  of  deep  marl  covered  with 
but  a few  feet  of  water,  the  marl  toward  the  center  of  the  lake,  as 
the  water  deepens,  becomes  much  higher  in  content  of  organic 
matter  and  of  course  suffers  in  its  percentage  of  calcium  carbonate. 

The  content  of  magnesium  carbonate  does  not  increase  with 
depth  of  the  sounding,  but  may  vary,  either  becoming  slightly 
greater  or  less.  If  clay  has  sifted  in  with  the  marl  it  usually  shows 
in  a higher  percentage  of  magnesium  carbonate. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 


51 


Marl  beds  are  not  seen  to  show  any  variation  in  the  content  of 
iron,  chlorine  or  other  such  foreign  substances  where  springs  di- 
rectly above  such  beds  contain  the  same. 

Having  reviewed  the  extensive  variation  in  composition  and 
depth,  together  with  the  condition  of  surface  and  basis  for  deposit, 
the  next  important  consideration  is  the  water  above  the  marl. 

The  water  of  our  springs  and  lakes  as  shown  by  our  analyses 
on  pages  46  and  131,  runs  as  follows : 

Free  C02,  0 to  44  parts  in  a million. 

CaC03,  80  to  217  parts  in  a million. 

MgCOs,  62  to  100  parts  in  a million. 

This  excludes  the  soft  water  lake  and  the  well  on  the  divide 
which  seem  to  be  extremes  on  either  side. 

The  water  so  laden  flowrs  from  the  springs  into  the  lakes  by  the 
springs  upon  high  land  and  by  the  water  holes  or  living  springs 
which  empty  under  water  in  the  lake  and  are  indicated  by  open 
water  in  the  dead  of  winter  and  are  avoided  by  skaters  as  air  holes. 
In  either  case  the  cold  water  will  at  once  flow  down  till  it  reaches 
the  deeper  parts  of  the  lake,  being  naturally  heavier  than  the 
somewhat  heated  water  about  it.  The  water  of  the  spring  holes 
must  carry  all  its  C02  with  it  as  there  is  no  open  air  for  it  to 
escape  to.  The  running  water  of  the  upland  springs  must  lose 
some  of  its  C02,  but  not  all  as  it  is  a gas,  heavier  than  air  and 
does  not  escape  easily. 

There  has  been  some  careful  research  into  the  behavior  of  lake 
waters,*  and  an  instrument  called  the  thermophone  has  been  in- 
vented to  trace  accurately  the  changes  of  temperature  at  great 
depths,  not  easily  reached  by  an  ordinary  thermometer.  It  was 
found  by  a study  of  Lake  Cochituate,  near  Boston,  that  in  very  deep 
water  the  bottom  temperature  remained  the  same  and  the  water 
stagnant  throughout  half  the  year  and  that  in  the  fall  and  spring  a 
general  vertical  circulation  of  the  water  took  place.  “The  diatoms 
and  some  of  the  infusoria  are  most  abundant  in  spring  and  fall,  or 
during  the  two  seasons  of  the  year  when  the  water  circulates  freely 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom.”  The  temperature  of  our  lake  waters 
controls  their  density  and  their  density  their  power  to  move  by  the 
law  of  convection,  the  warmer  water  rising,  the  colder  sinking. 


♦Warren  and  Whipple,  Meteorological  Journal,  June.  1895.  Technology  Quarterly, 
July,  1895,  VIII,  2,  pp.  125  to  152. 


52 


MARL. 


The  position  of  the  water  again  controls  its  power  of  getting  to 
the  air  and  losing  its  carbon  dioxide.  It  will  be  seen  by  careful 
perusal  of  the  experiments  of  Messrs.  Warren  and  Whipple  that 
our  deeper  lake  waters  must  have  a systematic  movement  each 
year.  In  the  deeper  portions  of  30  to  50  feet  depth  or  more,  the  water- 
remains  at  or  near  the  point  of  39.2°  F.  or  that  of  greatest 
density.  It  is  a little  above  that  point  in  winter  while  the  surface 
water  next  the  ice  is  of  course  nearer  freezing  point.  The  water 
in  the  deeper  portions  of  the  lake  already  referred  to  moves  in 
spring  and  fall  changing  places  with  the  surface  waters.  It  then 
acts  as  a reservoir  of  cold  heavily  laden  carbonated  waters  which 
replenish  the  surface  waters,  and  the  carbonates  and  C02  are  car- 
ried to  the  surface  where  any  free  C02  may  escape.  It  is  then 
clear  that  the  very  cold  water  of  our  springs  may  not  in  summer 
flow  at  once  to  surface  of  the  lake  and  is  not  at  once  thoroughly 
aerated  by  contact  with  the  air  at  the  surface  of  the  water,  but  on 
the  contrary  flows  to  the  deeper  parts  of  the  lake  and  is  buried  for 
a season  till  convection  brings  it  to  the  surface  when  it  naturally 
spreads  out,  being  the  warmer,  and  has  free  access  to  the  air. 

Now  we  find  that  to  no  great  extent  is  the  marl  precipitated  in 
deep  water.  In  soundings  made  in  40  and  50  feet  of  water,  the 
marl  nearly  lost  its  nature,  becoming  marly  muck.  When  we  allow 
a basin  with  spring  water  to  stand,  the  C02  collects  in  bubbles  on 
the  bottom  and  sides  and  little  rises  to  the  surface.  In  the  same 
way  we  can  tell  that  it  collects  on  the  bottom  of  a lake,  for  if  we 
stir  the  bottom  small  bubbles  of  gas  find  their  way  to  the  surface. 
This  is  the  condition  in  which  the  water  remains  as  it  lies  deep  in 
mid  lake. 

It  is  difficult  to  tell  from  a comparison  of  the  analyses  of  lake 
waters  and  those  of  the  springs  that  flow  into  them  whether  any 
carbonates  and  C02  are  lost  by  precipitation  from  the  fact  that 
the  lake  waters  must  of  necessity  be  diluted  by  surface  drainage 
waters  and  rain  water  containing  no  carbonates.  It  will  there- 
fore be  necessary  to  compare  the  springs  with  each  other,  the  wells 
with  each  other,  and  the  lakes,  taking  each  sounding  that  corre- 
sponds in  position  with  the  other.  The  Cloverdale  Lakes  may  be 
graded  in  the  intensity  of  their  deposit,  the  first  named  having  the 
deepest  marl  and  most  active  deposition,  the  last  having  but  traces, 
in  the  following  order:  Horseshoe,  Long,  Price,  Guernsey,  Mud 

Lakes.  Upon  comparing  Nos.  1,  8,  9,  13,  18,  20,  which  are  samples 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 


53 


of  spring  water,  analyses  of  which  are  given  on  page  46,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  most  intensely  marly  lakes  have  the  springs  with  the 
greatest  content  of  carbonates  and  grade  down  to  the  soft  water  lake, 
which  in  turn  has  a spring  with  the  smallest  content  of  carbonates. 
Upon  comparison  of  well  samples  3,  14,  35,  16,  17,  the  same  rule 
applies,  but  not  with  equal  clearness  as  the  well  near  Mud  Lake  was 
scarcely  more  than  a surface  well. 

Nos.  7,  10  and  12  are  the  surface  samples  of  Horseshoe,  Guernsey, 
and  Mud  lakes.  They  again  show  the  same  order  of  the  marl 
deposit.  They  all  lack  free  C02  and  contain  carbonates  in  the 
order  of  the  marl  deposit.  Horseshoe  is  the  greatest  and  Mud 
Lake  is  again  least. 

Nos.  5,  11,  21  form  a comparative  set  of  the  deep  waters  of  Horse- 
shoe, Mud  and  Pine  lakes.  The  relation  is  again  maintained  with- 
out break  although  the  free  C02  in  Mud  and  Guernsey  are  nearly 
the  same. 

For  comparison  of  water  in  the  lake  itself  we  have  Nos.  5,  6,  7, 
of  Horseshoe  Lake.  These  are  named  in  the  order  of  their  depth, 
No.  5 being  taken  in  50  feet  *of  wrater  in  mid  lake,  No.  6 in  a 
marl  basin  and  at  the  bottom  next  to  the  marl,  and  No.  7 at  the 
very  surface.  It  will  be  seen  that  according  to  these  analyses,  the 
water  is  steadily  and  rapidly  losing  its  content  of  C02  and  car- 
bonates as  it  approaches  the  surface.  At  the  bottom  it  had  the 
highest  (19.88  parts  C02),  at  ten  feet  it  has  but  6 parts,  and  at  the 
surface  nothing.  The  carbonates  are  lost  much  in  the  same  pro- 
portion, less  of  the  magnesium  carbonate  being  lost  than  of  the 
calcium  carbonate.  This  tallies  very  well  with  the  marl  which 
gains  more  calcium  than  magnesium. 

The  above  comparisons  deduced  from  the  table  of  analyses  would 
point  to  the  following  conclusions. 

The  deep  springs  furnish  the  hard  waters  for  the  marl  lakes. 

The  cold  water  sinks  to  the  deeper  parts  of  the  lake,  which  con- 
tain a supply  of  carbonates  and  C02. 

When  this  water  reaches  the  surface  by  aid  of  convection,  it 
loses  its  C02  entirely  or  in  part  and  its  proportion  of  carbonates 
suffers  as  well.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  in  this  consideration, 
that  water  and  C02  must  differ  in  volume  as  the  temperature  rises. 
The  water  as  a liquid  would  not  have  a great  change  of  volume  in 
rising  from  its  temperature  of  greatest  density  in  mid  lake  to  luke- 
warmness at  the  surface  under  a summer  sun.  On  the  other  hand 


54 


MAUL. 


carbon  dioxide  would  be  almost  entirely  lost  and  would  expand 
greatly.  While  its  content  per  liter  of  water  at  the  depth  of  10  feet 
would  be  much  less  than  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain that  at  the  surface  it  is  lost  entirely,  not  being  contained  in 
any  of  the  samples  taken  from  the  surface  of  any  of  the  lakes. 

Having  discussed  the  composition  of  marl  itself  we  find  it  in- 
fluenced by  the  depth  of  water  over  it  and  by  its  own  depth. 

Upon  the  study  of  water  and  its  content  of  carbonates  we  find 
the  opposite.  The  deep  water  contains  the  greatest  amount  of 
carbonates,  but  does  not  release  them  till  shallow  water  or  the 
surface  are  reached.  Heat  and  the  seasons  play  an  important  part 
in  renovating  the  deep  water,  bringing  it  to  the  surface  where  it 
loses  its  carbonates  by  some  agency. 

The  conditions  of  marl  formation  have  been  discovered  as  nearly 
as  possible.  It  is  found  that  the  carbonated  waters  even  if  at  first 
rendered  stagnant  are  brought  twice  a year  to  the  surface,  to  light 
and  heat,  but  that  according  to  carefully  conducted  experiments, 
they  cannot  lose  their  carbonates  by  simple  precipitation  of  the 
carbonates  upon  withdrawal  of  C02*because  none  of  the  compounds 
in  question  are  in  great  enough  proportion  to  form  a saturated 
solution. 

For  a pure  analogy  and  not  as  a proof,  let  us  look  at  other  paral- 
lel cases  in  nature  where  chemical  compounds  exist  in  such  mild 
proportions  that  it  does  not  seem  possible  for  change  to  take  place, 
but  nevertheless  such  change  is  going  on  upon  a large  scale.  The 
nitrates  or  compounds  of  nitrogen  can  not  readily  be  formed  and 
made  soluble  from  the  compounds  existing  in  the  soil  and  plants 
would  suffer  without  them.  They  are  formed,  however,  by  the 
interposition  of  an  outside  agent.  This  is  a minute  living  organ- 
ism that  forms  upon  the  roots  of  the  plant  at  the  same  time,  form- 
ing a large  amount  of  soluble  nitrates  for  the  use  of  the  plant. 
This  is  a case  of  chemical  recombination  impossible  without  the 
aid  of  this  living  organism.  The  process  of  biochemical  down- 
tearing is  so  varied  and  frequent  that  it  need  hardly  be  pointed  out 
The  process  of  rotting  so  necessary  to  the  destruction  of  plant  and 
animal  life  and  its  recombination  in  simpler  forms  fit  for  plant 
food,  is  accomplished  by  millions  of  bacteria.  Acids,  alkalies  and 
numbers  of  new7  compounds  are  formed  where  if  chemical  action 
alone  were  depended  upon,  plant  life  wrould  starve  in  need  of  less 
complex  food. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 


55 


It  is  here  in  the  discussion  of  precipitation  of  calcium  carbon- 
ate in  the  form  of  marl,  that  a new  set  of  phenomena  or  conditions 
must  be  duly  represented  and  described. 

There  are  clearly  live  marl  lakes,  i.  e.,  lakes  that  are  depositing 
at  the  present  time.  The  deposit  is  carried  on  in  shallows  in 
intensely  marly  lakes.  It  is  not  confined  to  plant  organisms  that 
can  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye.  The  reason  for  this  is  clearly 
proven.  All  live  and  dead  plants  or  all  inanimate  objects  on  the 
bottom  are  covered  with  the  white  deposit  of  calcium  carbonate. 
The  objects  covered  need  not  necessarily  have  grown  in  the  water. 
Many  trees  may  dip  half  decayed  branches  into  the  water,  yet  these 
twigs  are  covered  with  a thick  coating  of  the  marly  substance.  The 
numerous  water  plants  upon  the  bottom  in  the  shallows  are  also 
thickly  coated  with  white.  One  plant  especially  thrives  in  these 
shallows.  It  is  to  be  easily  distinguished  bv  its  whorls  or  leaves 
at  each  joint.*  It  would  seem  probable  that  these  plants,  espe- 
cially in  shallow  water  would  act  as  distributors  for  their  coating 
of  marl,  as  the  ice  of  winter  must  certainly  tear  them  out,  in  being 
floated  to  different  parts  of  the  lake  as  the  ice  breaks  up  in  the 
spring. 

The  marl  in  the  shallows  of  such  a lake  forms  around  everything, 
forming  pebbles  around  rushes  and  roots  that  extend  above  the 
surface  of  the  bed.  The  pebbles  are  somewhat  hard  and  in  boring 
they  sometimes  seem  like  stones.  The  roots  die  away  leaving  a 
hollow  nearly  enclosed  pebble.  The  marl  in  these  cases  forms  fine 
accretions  and  is  very  granular,  seeming  at  first  exactly  like  sand, 
but  yielding  to  repeated  efforts  to  crush  it  with  the  finger.  Upon 
closer  examination  of  plants  upon  which  the  marl  is  depositing  it 
is  found  that  they  are  coated  with  a fine  slime  which  is  more  or  less 
whitened  by  the  presence  of  the  particles  of  marl.  When  a lake  or 
portion  of  the  same  lake  is  examined  where  the  deposit  is  not  so 
active,  the  same  slime  is  found,  but  it  is  not  so  thick  and  it  is  trans- 
parent rather  than  white,  on  account  of  the  absence  of  the  white 
particles  of  marl.  Such  was  the  case  in  a chain  of  lakes  near 
Colon,  the  difference  between  the  lower  and  the  upper  of  the  lakes 
being  very  marked  in  this  respect.  The  active  precipitation  of 
marl  in  this  manner  was  first  remarked  in  notes  on  Horseshoe 
Lake  near  Cloverdale.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that,  while  the 
shores  of  this  lake  were  thickly  encrusted  with  thick  marl  in  the 


♦This  is  the  Chara  referred  to  by  Davis,  Chapter  V.  L. 


56 


MABL. 


process  of  precipitation,  the  marl  at  the  center  was  of  the  poorest, 
though  not  over  a few  hundred  feet  removed.  Several  actively 
depositing  lakes  have  been  noted  since.  Such  a lake  was  usually 
the  upper  lake  of  a chain.  It  received  little  drainage  water  and 
had  the  first  of  the  spring  water.  The  precipitation,  while  it  is 
taking  place  must  be  very  rapid.  Stakes  stuck  in  the  marl  as 
anchors  for  fishermen  are  whitened  by  the  deposit  of  marl; 
branches,  twigs,  etc.,  sometimes  have  an  incrustation  of  a quarter 
of  an  inch  or  more  in  thickness.  Even  in  such  lakes  the  marl  when 
traced  out  into  deep  water,  becomes  darker  and  heavier  in  organic 
matter,  and  if  sounded  to  the  bottom,  shows  much  the  same  in- 
crease in  organic  matter.  It  appears  the  only  feasible  and  true 
explanation  of  the  origin  or  exact  method  of  precipitation  of  marl 
that  minute  water  organisms  absorb  the  C02  from  the  water 
in  building  up  their  life  and  leave  the  calcium  carbonate  to  precipi- 
tate upon  the  twigs,  plants,  or  bottom,  or  anything  available. 
That  the  visible  water  plants  serve  mainly  to  precipitate  the  marl 
I can  hardly  believe  as  it  clings  to  the  dead  twig  as  thickly  as  to 
the  live.  Moreover  it  fastens  to  wood  that  has  not  had  life  while 
in  the  water  and  could  not  have  evolved  carbon  dioxide. 

There  is  every  reason,  however,  to  believe  that  these  plants  aid 
in  increasing  the  content  of  calcium  carbonate  in  the  marl  deposits 
even  in  the  deepest  water.  In  50  feet  of  ^ater  at  the  center  of 
Horseshoe  Lake,  a long  trailing  vine  was  brought  up  from  the 
bottom,  these  vines  often  winding  about  the  augur.  The  vine 
had  the  distinct  and  very  strong  odor  of  pole  cat.  It  was  without 
doubt  some  one  species  of  the  Characem.  The  family  are  well 
knowrn  for  their  high  content  of  calcium  salts. 

The  Chora  foetida  as  analyzed  by  Gustav  Bischof  is  as  follows: 

per  cent. 


Ash  of  dried  plant 54.84 

Of  this  ash  calcium  oxide 54.73 

Carbon  dioxide 42.60 


Such  a plant  dying  would  add  a considerable  portion  of  its  sub- 
stance to  the  formation  of  a marl  bed. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  believe  that  the  Characese  are  responsible 
for  the  growth  of  the  marl  bed  when  the  actively  depositing  marl 
beds  are  seen  to  be  covered  thickly  with  a luxuriant  growth  of  this 
plant.  As  they  have  stems  and  finest  branches  thickly  coated  with 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 


57 


tlie  calcium  carbonate  also,  every  crop  each  year  forms  an  addition 
to  the  bulk  of  the  marl  bed.  This  luxuriant  growth  is  often  in 
water  so  shallow  that  in  winter  the  ice  must  freeze  down  nearly  to 
the  bottom,  enclosing  the  plants,  stem  and  branch.  In  the  spring 
when  the  ice  loosens  and  is  shifted  into  deeper  water  by  the  winds, 
a large  number  of  these  plants  must  be  carried  and  deposited  in 
mid  lake.  This  will  account  in  part  for  the  distribution  of  marl 
in  deep  water.  It  is  hardly  deemed  possible,  however,  that  Char- 
acese  are  the  sole  cause  of  the  growth  of  our  vast  beds  of  marl,  for 
the  following  reasons: 

Actively  depositing  marl  is  found  in  the  absence  of  these  plants. 
In  the  absence  of  these  plants  the  marl  encrusts  all  objects  around, 
dead  or  alive.  Fully  as  thick  an  incrustation  has  been  found  upon 
dead  twigs  and  old  stubs  stuck  up  in  water  by  fishermen,  in  a lake 
nearly  devoid  of  Characese,  as  in  those  the  bottoms  of  which  are 
covered  with  plants.  Another  very  significant  fact  is  that  in  cases 
where  the  plants  themselves  are  taken  from  the  water,  they  are 
found  surrounded  by  a gelatinous  scum.  Where  the  marl  is  not 
depositing  thickly  this  scum  is  nearly  transparent,  while  on  thickly 
depositing  beds  its  surface  is  whitened  by  the  presence  of  the 
particles  of  calcium  carbonate. 

We  must  notice  in  connection  with  this  another  important  fact. 
Where  the  marl  is  depositing  upon  a bare  bottom,  upon  rocks  and 
pebbles  as  noticed  at  Long  Lake,  Cloverdale,  the  accretions  as 
deposited,  have  a pronounced  inner  lining  of  chlorophyl.*  This 
green  color  does  not  show  upon  the  outside  of  the  incrustation 
which  shows  the  white  or  gray  color  of  marl.  Such  a deposit  is 
very  soft  and  breaks  apart  easily  when  in  the  water.  When,  how- 
ever, it  is  exposed  to  the  air  for  some  time  it  hardens  so  that  it 
is  difficult  to  tear  apart.  The  pebbly  concretions  formed  in  some 
lakes  are  rather  hard  and  gritty  even  under  water  and  were  even 
found  in  two  cases  at  the  depth  of  6 to  10  feet  in  the  marl  bed, 
feeling  like  pebbles  when  struck  in  boring,  yet  the  beds  were  al- 
most entirely  free  from  silica  in  any  form.  Free  sand  was  entirely 
absent.  The  very  hard  pebble  like  accretions  seen  in  both  in- 
stances were  on  the  south  side  of  the  lake  in  question. 

It  seems  possible  that  other  forms  of  plant  life,  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye,  also  assist  in  the  precipitation  of  the  salts  from  the 

•Showing  the  presence  of  the  blue  green  algae,  referred  to  in  Davis’  paper.  I 
have  noticed  in  Higgins  Lake,  the  sand  of  the  bottom  continuously  cemented  in  a 
thin  layer  about  1-10  of  an  inch  thick,  brown  above  and  green  below.  L. 

8-Pt.  HI 


58 


MARL. 


water.  While  the  Characem  in  shallow  water  are  coated  thickly 
with  marl,  in  deep  water  there  is  no  sign  of  the  scummy  or  gelatin- 
ous covering,  nor  is  the  marl  of  anywhere  near  as  limy  a composi- 
tion, showing  that  the  precipitation  process  is  largely  if  not  en- 
tirely inoperative  in  deep  water.  Yet  in  water  20  to  25  feet  deep 
there  is  often  if  not  always  a fair  marl.  Sample  No.  4 (sounding 
10)  at  the  center  of  Long  Lake,  Cloverdale,  shows  at  the  bottom  of 
a 20  foot  marl  bed  in  25  feet  of  water,  69.30$  calcium  carbonate  and 
11.91$  organic  matter. 

There  is  another  very  remarkable  feature  about  very  intensely 
hard  water  lakes.  The  waters  are  often  as  clear  as  crystal.  Every 
dark  particle  of  organic  matter  not  only  settles  to  the  bottom,  but 
is  covered  as  well  with  the  marly  precipitate.  The  plants  and 
debris  of  mid  lake  are  buried  by  the  marl  as  well  as  those  nearer 
the  shallows,  but  the  deposit  of  marl  must  be  much  more  rapid  in 
the  latter  because  of  the  greater  content  of  calcium  over  organic 
matter  which  it  always  contains. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  purely  chemical  precipitation  of 
marl  from  our  dilute  spring  and  lake  waters  would  be  impossible. 
The  analyses  of  the  Characese  and  their  presence  in  such  large 
numbers  proves  them  to  be  surely  responsible  for  a part  of  the  com- 
position of  the  marl  bed,  especially  in  deep  water.  For  in  deep 
water  the  organic  content  is  always  very  high  and  the  forms  of 
the  water  plants  can  always  be  distinctly  traced,  embedded  and 
preserved  in  the  impure  marl.  The  analyses  always  show  a great 
proportion  of  organic  matter  in  deep  water  marl,  or  in  most  marls 
taken  at  great  depths,  whether  in  deep  water  or  at  the  bottom  of  a 
deep  bed  or  both.  On  the  other  hand  a local  precipitation  takes 
place  and  that  very  actively.  Moreover  it  takes  place  at  or  near 
the  surface  and  very  little  in  deep  water.  That  was  well  shown 
by  samples  5,  6 and  7 of  the  waters  at  Horseshoe  Lake,  Cloverdale 
district.  These  were  in  their  order,  analyses  of  water  at  50  feet 
in  mid  lake,  water  on  bottom  at  10  feet  in  depth,  and  water  at  the 
very  surface.  From  deep  water  to  the  surface  the  C02  escapes 
entirely  and  the  carbonates  are  least  at  the  surface  also. 

The  manner  in  which  the  marl  is  laid  down  also  favors  a precipi- 
tation process.  Where  the  regularity  of  the  bottom  will  allow 
it  the  marl  is  deposited  so  evenly  that  it  is  sometimes  impossible  to 
note  any  such  variation  in  depth,  the  marl  remaining  very  even 
over  an  extended  area  and  then  increasing  or  decreasing  gradually. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 


59 


Of  course  in  mam-  cases,  our  lake  bottoms  being  full  of  sudden 
jogs,  the  marl  must  vary  also.  As  a rule  it  behaves  much  like  an 
even  deposit  or  sheet,  leveling  hollows  and  decreasing  the  abrupt- 
ness of  sudden  rises  in  the  original  bottom.  See  for  measurements 
taken,  Cloverdale,  Central  Lake,  Rice  Lake. 

Another  point  of  significance  is  that  near  the  surface,  there  are 
many  samples  of  marl  taken  which  have  a content  of  95^  calcium 
carbonate  and  sometimes  but  a fractional  per  cent  of  organic  mat- 
ter, the  latter  indicating  the  proportion  of  plant  tissue  used  in 
building  up  such  a portion  of  the  deposit.  According  to  such 
analyses  (see  commercial  analyses  of  marl  in  the  appendix)  the 
plant  life  remaining  as  organic  matter  would  not  be  sufficient  to 
account  for  the  production  of  such  very  pure  marl,  being  some- 
times but  a fraction  of  a per  cent. 

The  following  would  then  appear  as  the  most  plausible  explana- 
tion of  the  manner  of  precipitation  of  marl. 

The  mineral  is  washed  from  the  soil  and  finds  its  way  to  our 
deep  underground  springs  as  a bicarbonated  salt. 

These  springs  issue  from  the  deep  cuts  and  clefts  left  by  the 
glaciers  and  called  by  us  lake  valleys. 

Analyses  of  the  water  and  parallel  experiment  prove  that  the 
solution  of  carbonates  and  free  carbon  dioxide  are  in  too  small 
quantity  to  form  a saturated  solution  and  therefore  cannot  from 
purely  chemical  laws  precipitate  as  marl  on  the  bottom  of  the 
lakes. 

The  very  dense  cold  waters  of  the  springs,  whether  they  issue 
from  bottom  or  sides  of  the  lake,  seek  by  their  greater  weight  the 
deeper  portions  of  the  lake.  They  remain  there  with  their  burden 
of  salts  and  C02  till  the  semi-annual  overturning  of  the  still  water, 
when  they  approach  the  surface.  When  the  water  reaches  the  sur- 
face, it  is  warmed  by  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  If  the  place  is  shel- 
tered and  the  water  is  shallow,  the  bottom  reflects  the  rays  of  the 
sun  still  further  heating  it.  If  in  deeper  water  not  all  the  rays 
of  the  sun  are  stopped  as  they  are  wasted  in  heating  a greater 
depth  of  water  to  a less  temperature.  The  warmer  the  water  the 
better  all  plant  life  thrives  in  it.  These  plants  are  of  two  kinds, 
the  larger  fixed  plants  that  may  be  seen  without  the  aid  of  micro- 
scope and  those  invisible  to  the  naked  eye. 

The  former  or  larger  fixed  plants  live  on  the  bottom  and  absorb 
a large  percentage  of  the  carbonates  in  their  growth  and  also  give 


60 


MARL. 


off  free  oxygen.  The  smaller  plants  are  movable,  being  carried 
slowly  through  those  portions  of  the  water  where  they  have  suffici- 
ent sunlight  and  warmth  to  multiply  rapidly.  They  must  also 
give  forth  oxygen  in  large  quantities,  but  as  they  must  live  toward 
the  surface  or  warmer  part  of  the  water  and  be  capable  of  reaching 
every  particle  of  it,  they  form  a more  perfect  oxygen  carrier  and 
serve  to  ‘furnish  oxygen  in  a very  thorough  manner  for  precipita- 
tion of  the  salts  from  their  weak  solution.  They  could  thrive  only 
at  or  near  the  surface  in  deep  water  on  account  of  the  lack  of  heat 
and  while  supplying  an  even  distribution  of  oxygen,  would  not 
thoroughly  do  so  as  in  shallow  water. 

The  result  of  this  is  that  in  very  shallow  water  the  precipitating 
process  is  rapid  wherever  sunlight  and  warmth  have  made  the  very 
best  conditions  possible  for  the  growth  of  plant  life.  Here  the 
rate  of  formation  of  marl  is  more  rapid  and  while  plant  remains 
are  always  found,  the  proportion  of  precipitated  salts  is  greater 
than  that  remaining  from  the  breaking  down  of  gross  plant  tissue. 
The  method  of  precipitation  is  a process  of  accretion.  That  is  to 
say,  every  particle  of  organic  matter,  silt,  etc.,  that  finds  its  way 
into  these  waters  where  the  process  of  marl  making  is  very  rapid, 
is  surrounded  by  a coating  of  marl  and  sinks  to  the  bottom,  form- 
ing forever  a portion  of  the  deposit.  The  Characem  and  larger 
water  plants  containing  lime  in  their  formation  are  torn  from  their 
places  by  ice  in  winter,  or  perhaps  to  some  degree  by  the  action 
of  the  wind  and  disintegrate  in  the  deeper  parts  of  the  lake,  help- 
ing to  form  the  deposit.  The  plants  which  themselves  form  in  deep 
water  are  not  encrusted  to  any  extent  with  the  marl  and  then  when 
they  disintegrate  do  not  make  as  marly  a formation.  Moreover 
the  dead  drift  of  silt  and  other  matter  which  must  always  fall  into 
a lake  is  not  in  mid  lake  coated  as  thickly  as  in  shallow  water 
where  the  process  is  much  more  rapid.  These  particles  sink  to 
the  bottom  of  the  lake  and  form  a part  of  the  bed  as  they  do  in  the 
shallows,  but  on  account  of  the  lack  of  precipitation  upon  them 
they  add  a higher  amount  of  organic  matter  to  the  growing  bed. 
As  the  water  in  turn  throughout  a depth  of  50  feet  is  none  of  it 
heated  so  warm  as  on  shallows  where  nearly  all  the  heat  is  re- 
flected from  the  bottom,  the  finer  more  minute  water  plants  do  not 
multiply  so  fast  or  furnish  as  much  oxygen.  Where  the  heat  is 
greatest  at  the  surface  they  must,  however,  cause  a deposit  to 
some  extent.  It  follows  from  these  conditions  that  the  marl  must 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL. 


61 


form  more  slowly  in  deep  water  and  that  its  organic  content  must 
be  greater.*  As  many  of  our  lakes  are  filled  with  marl  varying 
from  twenty  feet  in  mid  lake  to  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  depth  on 
shallows  or  points  near  shore,  or  in  marshes  at  that  depth  at  the 
center,  the  following  must  have  once  been  the  condition : 

Our  lakes  were  originally  thirty  or  forty  feet  deeper  when  their 
basins  contained  no  marl.  The  marl  first  deposited  was  deposited 
in  much  deeper  water  than  this  as  the  water  level  of  our  lakes  has 
sunk  greatly  in  the  last  few  years.  All  the  soundings  made  in 
deep  water  or  to  the  bottom  of  deep  deposits  show  them  to  be,  one 
and  all,  of  a more  impure  character  than  those  in  our  shallows  at 
the  surface.  The  only  exception  found  was  a nearly  pure  shell 
deposit  which  at  surface  contained  90$  calcium  carbonate  and  at  a 
depth  of  17  feet  92$.  See  Nos.  6 and  7,  page  83. 

So  universally  does  this  rule  apply  that  in  one  case  a sudden 
change  of  former  water  level  could  be  traced  by  a like  sudden 
variation  in  the  quality  of  the  marl  overlying  the  bottom.  A broad 
glacial  chain  of  dried  lake  beds  extended  from  east  to  west.  There 
were  lakes  above  which  emptied  through  a narrow  stream  which 
flowed  over  a bed.  A line  of  soundings  from  north  to  south  at 
right  angles  to  the  length  of  the  system  showed  an  extensive  shal- 
low which  originally  lay  on  the  north  side.  At  about  the  center  of 
the  depression  was  the  deep  channel  of  the  former  body  of  water. 
Then  at  the  south  side  was  another  area  of  shallows.  Nearly  all 
was  dry  land  excepting  the  small  stream  named.  Instead  of  the 
valley  being  filled  nearly  even  with  the  deposit  of  marl  and  enclos- 
ing marsh  growth,  the  deep  channel  was  marked  upon  the  surface 
as  a sharp  depression.  The  shallows  were  of  finest  marl  ever  seen, 
being  nearly  pure  calcium  carbonate  with  but  a trace  of  organic 
matter  and  other  salts.  It  formed  a shallow  deposit  some  six  or 
seven  feet  in  depth.  The  channel  was  very  impure  and  formed  a 
rather  sharp  line  of  contrast  with  the  pure  shoal  marl,  following 
the  rule  above  mentioned  regarding  the  quality  of  marl  as  ac- 
counted for  by  depth  of  water  over  it. 

The  whole  basin  was  once  covered  with  water,  the  area  of  pure 
marl  consisting  of  a terrace  of  shallows  on  either  side.  This  de- 
posited pure  marl  in  shallow  water  till  it  reached  the  surface  and 
marsh  growth  sealed  the  deposit  on  the  shallows,  stopping  its 
growth.  The  marl  in  deep  water  formed  in  a much  more  impure 


*See  paper  by  Wesenberg-Lund,  p.  68. 


62 


MABL. 


state  on  account  of  the  greater  depth  of  water  over  it.  It  would 
have  filled  to  the  surface,  becoming  purer  with  shallower  water 
if  the  drainage  had  not  in  some  way  altered  so  that  the  water  level 
sunk  to  the  surface  or  near  the  surface  of  the  marl  and  organic 
matter  in  the  shape  of  marsh  growth  choked  and  sealed  the  de- 
posit. This  peculiar  suddenness  of  change  in  quality  and  forma- 
tion was  traced  for  a half  mile  to  the  first  chain  of  upper  lakes. 
The  channel  broadened  in  places,  but  its  surface  never  showed 
other  than  a silt  formation,  the  marsh  at  the  present  time  being  in 
process  of  sealing  the  deposit.  The  upper  lake  of  the  chain,  how- 
ever, while  it  showed  a gradual  decrease  in  quality  with  increase  of 
depth  was  actively  depositing  in  the  shallows  at  the  upper  end. 

We  would  conclude  that  in  former  times  the  process  of  marl  for- 
mation was  much  slower  on  account  of  the  greater  depth  of  water 
and  that  our  fall  of  water  level  of  late  years  has  hastened  the  pro- 
cess, bringing  deeper  water  nearer  the  surface  and  heat  and  sun- 
light. We  also  conclude  that  the  great  clearness  of  our  lakes  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  every  particle  of  floating  silt  and  dust  and 
matter  no  matter  how  large  or  small,  is  surrounded  by  the  fast 
depositing  marl  and  buried  in  the  deposit.  It  is  noticeable  that 
many  lakes  where  the  process  has  ceased  and  the  marl  is  being 
covered  with  silt,  show  a very  dirty  reddish  water  due  to  particles 
of  deteriorating  organic  matter.  Yet  these  lakes  are  fed  by  springs 
and  have  outlets. 

It  is  difficult  always  to  account  for  the  presence  of  marl  in  one 
lake  and  its  absence  in  another.  In  most  cases  there  is  found  a 
difference  in  water  supply.  Mud  Lake  and  Long  Lake,  Cloverdale 
district,  were  one  soft  water,  and  the  other  hard.  The  former  was 
fed  by  surface  soft  water  springs  and  the  latter  by  deep  water 
springs.  The  wells  near  each  showed  the  same  difference  in  hard- 
ness of  water.  In  portions  of  the  State  where  there  are  no  hard 
water  springs  no  marl  is  found.  Such  were  said  to  be  the  condi- 
tions surrounding  the  limestone  district  about  Escanaba.  A pros- 
pector who  had  explored  carefully  said  that  there  were  no  marl 
lakes  within  thirty  miles.  The  hard  water  was  tapped  only  by' the 
deepest  artesian  wells.  It  was  noticed  where  two  lakes  were  near 
enough  together  to  be  compared  that  the  one  indenting  the  general 
outline  of  the  country  deepest  and  tapping  the  most  hard  water 
springs,  contained  the  deepest  deposit. 


THEORIES  OF  ORIGIN  OF  BOG  LIME  OR  MARL.  63 


There  is  yet  another  circumstance  which  must  be  accounted  for. 
This  is  the  presence  in  one  part  of  the  lake  of  a marl  deposit  which 
may  taper  off  to  a sandy  or  clay  bottom  not  covering  the  whole 
lake  bed.  In  the  first  place  it  will  be  noticed  that  in  a lake  not 
covered  entirely  with  marl,  it  favors  with  its  presence  the  bayous, 
points,  and  shallow  water  and  in  most  instances,  though  not  al- 
ways, avoids  deep  water.  As  light  and  heat  are  always  necessaries 
of  plant  life  the  facts  of  the  location  of  the  deposit  in  shallow 
water  in  the  presence  of  the  same  is  very  good  argument  for  the 
theory  of  vegetable  origin.  But  there  is  still  a further  fact  to 
account  for.  Even  in  shallows  a bed  may  end  or  taper  to  the  orig- 
inal bottom,  generally  becoming  toward  the  edges  much  more 
highly  organic  in  its  nature.  This  is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that 
sometimes  at  one  end  of  a lake,  generally  though  not  always  the 
upper  end,  the  marl  is  bare  or  has  not  ceased  depositing  and  at 
the  lower  end  becomes  a deposit  of  lake  silt,  or  in  another  case  the 
marl  is  bare  of  silt  at  one  end,  though  covered  with  water  and  is 
at  the  other  end  covered  by  a few  inches  to  a few  feet  of  silt.  In 
other  words  the  marl  has  changed  its  position  for  depositing  or  has 
continued  to  deposit  at  one  end  and  has  ceased-  entirely  for  some 
time  to  deposit  at  the  other  end  and  the  deposit  there  is  sealed  to 
some  depth  with  silt,  over  which  there  lies  several  feet  of  water. 
A good  illustration  of  this  was  seen  at  Central  Lake.  The  depth 
at  both  ends  to  the  original  bottom  was  nearly  the  same.  The 
quality  of  the  marl  was  about  the  same  for  the  same  depth, 
but  the  marl  had  ceased  depositing  at  one  end  and  had  con- 
tinued actively  at  the  other.  We  must  conclude  from  this  that 
the  conditions  for  successful  growth  of  the  marl  producing  plants 
of  our  lakes  change  in  different  parts  of  the  lake,  causing  a 
more  or  less  permanent  cessation  of  the  process  of  marl  making. 
At  Portage  Lake,  Onekama,  this  process  seems  to  have  been  inter- 
rupted at  intervals  and  continued  again  according  to  the  layers  of 
marl  and  organic  marsh  growth  alternating.  However,  as  this  was 
the  only  instance  seen  of  the  kind,  it  would  not  be  safe  to  assume 
from  the  instance  of  one  lake,  that  such  was  the  rule. 

It  can  scarcely  be  argued  that  marl  is  the  result  entirely  of  the 
breaking  down  of  the  structure  of  gross  plant  growth  for  the  same 
reason  that  shells  cannot  be  said  to  account  for  the  formation  of 
all  marl.  At  a depth  of  thirty-five  feet  stems  and  branches  of 


64 


MARL. 


small  size  may  be  well  defined  in  samples  taken  as  can  the  forms 
of  small  shells.  Wood  of  a more  fibrile  texture  is  preserved  in  a 
nearly  fresh  state  and  the  grain  can  be  clearly  separated.  It  can 
hardly  be  said  that  different  parts  of  the  same  plant  have  deterior- 
ated at  such  a different  rate  as  to  leave  in  one  portion  a nearly 
perfect  branch  or  shell  and  right  beside  it  a marl  formation  that 
cannot  be  found  to  resemble  plant  tissue  or  anything  else  except- 
ing an  amorphous  form  of  mineral.  The  lack  of  any  finely  pre- 
served lime  formation  of  the  tests  of  minute  animals  or  the  forms 
df  fresh  water  plants,*  also  discourages  the  idea  that  the  bodies 
of  the  same  have  died  and  formed  the  deposit.  The  clearest  ex- 
planation would  therefore  seem  to  be  that  of  a chemical  precipitate 
brought  about  by  plant  life  both  great  and  small,  abstracting  C02, 
and  acting  where  conditions  for  its  existence  are  most  favorable. 

One  of  the  strongest  of  reasons  why  the  purely  chemical  theory  is 
not  true  is  lack  of  marl  in  some  shallows  and  its  presence  in  others. 
The  lime  bearing  water  must  be  distributed  evenly  to  all  shallows 
and  should  precipitate  upon  all  at  an  equal  depth.  This  is  often  con- 
trary to  fact,  while  on  the  other  hand  it  would  be  possible  for  a 
local  precipitation  to  be  brought  about  in  the  presence  and  only 
in  the  presence  of  water  plants  producing  oxygen. 

As  these  views  of  the  subject  are  nearly  if  not  exactlyf  the  same 
as  those  of  Prof.  Davis,  given  in  another  portion  of  this  work,  it 
has  not  been  thought  necessary  to  repeat  his  chain  of  evidence  or 
any  of  his  ideas  except  to  bring  out  those  points  in  the  constitution 
and  location  of  marl  beds  which  would  seem  to  prove  the  same  idea 
from  different  facts  of  observation. 

*But  see  Davis’  observations,  pp.  74  to  80.  L. 

tThe  main  difference  between  Mr.  Hale  and  Prof.  Davis  is  that  the  former  is 
more  inclined  to  look  to  microscopic  plants  and  to  the  abstraction  of  C02  by  plant 
life  generally  as  inducing  a chemical  precipitation  favored  by  light  and  heat.  L. 


CHAPTER  V. 


A CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL. 

BY  C.  A.  DAVIS. 

§ 1.  Historical  introduction. 

Botanists  have  long  been  familiar  with  the  fact  that,  in  some 
regions,  aquatic  plants  of  all,  or  nearly  all,  types  are  covered  with 
a more  or  less  copious  coating  of  mineral  matter,  while  in  other 
localities  the  same  types  of  plant  life  are  free  from  any  trace  of 
such  covering.  In  New  England,  for  example,  plants  growing  in 
the  water  are  generally  without  such  coating,  while  in  Michigan 
and  adjoining  states  it  is  generally  present.  In  many  lakes  and 
streams  the  mineral  deposit  on  the  stems  and  leaves  of  the  higher 
plants  is  very  noticeable,  and  nearly  all  vegetation  growing  in  the 
water  is  manifestly  an  agent  of  precipitation  of  mineral  matter, 

Various  writers  in  Europe*  and  Americaf  have  called  attention 
to  the  influence  of  the  low  types  of  plants  growing  in  and  around 
hot  springs  and  mineral  springs,  on  the  formation  of  silicious  sinter, 
calcareous  tipa,  and  other  characteristic  deposits  of  such  springs, 
and  the  connection  between  the  beds  of  calcareous  tufa  which  are 
sometimes  formed  about  ordinary  seepage  springs  whose  waters 
carry  considerable  calcareous  matter  in  solution  and  certain 
species  of  moss  has  been  suggested,  but  so  far  as  the  writer  knows, 
no  one  has  given  attention  to  the  possible  relation  of  vegetation  to 
the  more  or  less  extensive  beds  of  the  so  called  marl,  found  about, 
and  in,  many  of  the  small  lakes  in  Michigan  and  the  adjacent 
states.  As  has  been  pointed  out  elsewhere,  this  “marl,”  more 
properly  lake  lime,  is  made  up  principally  of  nearly  pure  calcium 
carbonate,  “carbonate  of  lime,”  with  greater  or  less  admixture  of 
impurities.  When  dry  and  pure  it  is  white  or  slightly  cream 
colored,  nodular,  coarsely  granular  to  finely  powdery,  very  loosely 

*Cohn:  Die  Algen  des  Karlsbader  Sprudels,  mit  Rucksicht  auf  die  Bildung  des 
Sprudel  Sinters:  Abhandl.  der  Schles.  Gessell.,  pt.  2,  Nat. .1862,  p.  35. 

fWeed:  Formation  of  Travertine  and  Silicious  Sinter  by  the  Vegetation  of  Hot 
Springs.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  IX,  Ann.  Rept.,  p.  619,  1889. 

9-Pt.  Ill 


66 


MARL. 


coherent  and  effervescing  freely  in  acids.  On  dissolving  it,  particles 
of  vegetable  and  other  organic  and  insoluble  matter  are  found 
scattered  through  the  solution. 

§ 2.  Ultimate  sources. 

The  ultimate  source  of  this  material,  except  the  vegetable  mat- 
ter, is,  undoubtedly,  the  clays  of  glacial  deposits  and  like  disin- 
tegrated rock  masses.  These  clays  are  rich  in  finely  divided  lime- 
stone and  in  the  softer  rock-forming  minerals,  some  of  which  con- 
tain calcium  compounds.  Percolating  water,  containing  dissolved 
carbon  dioxide,  the  so  called  carbonic  acid  gas,  readily  dissolves 
the  calcium  and  other  metallic  salts  up  to  a certain  limit.  The 
water  with  the  dissolved  matter  in  it  runs  along  underground  until 
an  outlet  is  reached  and  issues  in  the  form  of  a spring.  This,  in 
turn,  uniting  with  other  springs  forms  a stream  which  runs  into  a 
lake,  carrying  along  with  it  the  greater  part  of  its  mineral  load. 
If  the  amount  of  carbon  dioxide  contained  in  the  water  is  consider- 
able, some  of  it  will  escape  on  reaching  the  surface,  because  of 
decrease  of  pressure,  and  with  its  escape,  if  the  saturation  point 
for  the  dissolved  mineral  matter  has  been  reached,  a part  of  this 
matter  must  be  dropped  in  the  form  of  a fine  powder,  as  the  water 
runs  along  over  the  surface.  Theoretically,  then,  some,  if  not  a 
great  part  of  the  dissolved  matter,  should  be  thrown  down  along 
the  courses  of  the  streams  which  connect  the  original  outlets  of 
the  water  from  calcareous  clays  and  lakes  where  marl  occurs,  and 
we  should  find  the  marl  occurring  in  small  .deposits  along  these 
streams  wherever  there  is  slack  water.  Moreover,  we  should  ex- 
pect the  waters  of  these  springs  and  streams  to  show  more  or 
less  milkiness  on  standing  exposed  to  the  normal  pressure  of  the 
atmosphere  at  usual  temperatures.  Actually,  however,  none  of 
these  phenomena  have  been  noted  and  we  infer  that  there  is  not  a 
large  amount  of  carbon  dioxide,  and  not  an  approach  to  the  satur- 
ation point  for  calcium  bicarbonate,  in  the  springs  and  streams 
feeding  marly  lakes.* 

§ 3.  Alternative  methods  of  deposition. 

We  are  then  left,  among  others,  the  following  alternatives,  ex- 
planatory of  marl  formation:  (1)  The  marl  is  not  being  formed 

under  existing  conditions,  but  has  been  formed  in  some  previous 
time  when  conditions  were  not  the  same  as  now.  (2)  The  amount 
of  dissolved  salts  is  so  small  that  the  saturation  point  is  not  ap- 

*This  point  is  considered  more  extensively  later.  L. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  67 


proached  until  after  the  lakes  are  reached  and  the  slow  evapora- 
tion added  to  the  reduction  of  the  amount  of  dissolved  carbon 
dioxide  in  the  water  brings  about  deposition  of  the  mineral  salts. 
(3)  Some  other  cause,  or  causes,  than  the  simple  release  from  the 
water  of  the  solvent  carbon  dioxide  must  be  sought. 

The  first  of  these  suggestions  is  met  by  the  fact  that  marl  is  found 
in  lakes  at  and  below  the  present  level  of  the  water,  and  that  it 
extends  in  most  of  them  to,  or  even  beyond,  the  very  edge  of  the 
marshes  around  the  lakes,  and  over  the  bottom  in  shallow  parts 
of  living  lakes,  even  coating  pebbles  and  living  shells.  (2)  The 
water  of  lakes  with  swift  flowing  and  extensive  outlets,  such  as 
most  of  our  marly  lakes  have,  is  changed  so  rapidly  that  little  if  any 
concentration  of  a given  volume  of  water  would  occur  while  it  was 
in  the  lake,  and  there  is  no  probability  that  any  of  the  lakes  visited 
by  the  writer  have  ever  been  without  an  outlet.  Indeed  many  of 
them  have  outlets  which  occupy  valleys  which  have  been  the  chan- 
nels of  much  larger  streams  than  the  present  ones.  Moreover, 
definite  measurements  which,  however,  are  subject  to  further  in- 
vestigation, have  been  made,  which  show  that  the  volume  of  water 
flowing  out  of  these  lakes  is  practically  the  same  as  that  flowing 
into  them,  i.  e.,  the  loss  by  evaporation  is  too  small  a factor  to  be 
taken  into  account.  Farther,  recent  investigations*  have  shown 
that  calcium,  as  the  bicarbonate,  is  soluble  to  the  extent  of  238 
parts  in  a million,  in  water  containing  no  carbon  dioxide.  As 
most  of  our  natural  waters,  even  from  limy  clays,  contain  no 
more  than  this  amount  of  this  salt,  even  when  they  carry  com 
siderable  free  carbon  dioxide,  and  many  analyses  show  a less, 
amount  of  it,  the  fact  becomes  plain  that  even  if  the  carbon  dioxide 
were  all  lost  there  would  be  no  precipitation  from  this  cause. 
(3)  Considering  these  objections  as  valid  it  seems  fitting  to  ex- 
amine into  the  possibility  of  the  plant  and  animal  organisms  living 
in  the  waters  of  the  lakes  being  the  agents  which  bring  about  the 
reduction  of  the  soluble  calcium  bicarbonate  to  the  insoluble  car- 
bonate even  in  waters  low  in  the  amount  of  dissolved  mineral 
matter,  and  containing  considerable  carbon  dioxide. 

That  mollusks  can  do  this  is  shown  by  the  fact,  which  has  fre- 
quently come  under  the  writer’s  notice,  that  the  relatively  thick 
and  heavy  shells  of  species  living  in  fresh  water  are  partly  dis- 

*Treadwell  and  Reuter:  Ueber  die  Loeslichkeit  der  Bikarbonate  des  Calciums 
und  Magnesiums.  Zeitschrift  fur  Anorganish-Chemie,  Vol.  17,  p.  170.  Summarized 
elsewhere  in  this  report. 


68 


MARL. 


solved  and  deeply  etched  by  the  action  of  carbonic  acid  after  the 
animals  have,  by  their  processes  of  selection,  fixed  the  calcium  car- 
bonate in  their  tissues,  precipitating  it  from  water  so  strongly 
acid  and  so  free  from  the  salt  that  re-solution  begins  almost  im- 
mediately. No  natural  water  seems  so  free  from  calcium  salts  that 
some  species  of  mollusks  are  not  able  to  find  enough  of  the  neces- 
sary mineral  matter  to  build  their  characteristic  shells. 

While  some  limited  and  rather  small  deposits  of  marl  are  pos- 
sibly built  up,  or  at  least  largely  contributed  to,  by  molluscan 
and  other  invertebrate  shells,*  the  deposits  which  are  proving 
commercially  valuable  in  the  region  under  consideration,  do  not 
contain  recognizable  shell  fragments  in  any  preponderance,  al- 
though numerous  nearly  entire  fragile  shells  may  be  readily 
washed  or  sifted  from  the  marl.  The  average  of  quantitative  de- 
terminations of  the  shells  and  shell  debris  in  three  samples  of 
marl  from  widely  separated  localities  was  less  than  one  per  cent 
of  the  entire  weight  of  the  marl  and  of  these  the  highest  contained 
but  a trifle  over  one  per  cent,  1.04$.  The  conditions  under  which 
marl  are  found  are  such  that  the  grinding  of  shells  into  impalpable 
powder,  or  fine  mud,  by  strong  wave  action  is  improbable,  if  not 
impossible,  for  exposed  shores  and  shallow  water  of  considerable 
extent  are  necessary  to  secure  such  grinding  action,  and  these  are 
not  generally  found  in  connection  with  marl. 

We  are,  then,  reduced  to  the  alternative  of  considering  the 
action  of  plants  as  precipitating  agents  for  the  calcium  salts.  It 
has  been  shown  already  that  plants  generally  become  incrusted 
with  mineral  matter  in  our  marly  lakes,  and  it  is  easy  to  demon- 
strate that  the  greater  part  of  the  material  in  the  incrustation 
is  calcium  carbonate.  It  is  also  easy  for  a casual  observer  to 
see  that  in  many  cases  the  deposit  is  not  a true  secretion  of  the 
plants,  for  it  is  purely  external,  and  is  easily  rubbed  off,  or  jarred 
off  from  the  outside  of  the  plants  in  flakes,  while  the  tissues  be- 
neath show  no  injury  from  being  deprived  of  it,  and  again  as 
has  already  been  pointed  out,  the  same  species  of  plants  in  some 
sections  of  the  country  do  not  have  any  mineral  matter  upon 
them.  It  has  also  been  remarked  in  a recent  important  paper,  f 
that  the  amount  of  the  incrustation  varies  with  the  depth  of  water 
in  which  the  plants  grow,  i.  e.,  the  amount  of  light  they  receive, 

*C.  Wesenberg-Lund:  Lake-lime,  pea  ore,  lake-gytje,  Medd.  fra  Danskgel 
Forening  U.  Copenhagen,  1&01,  p.  140. 

tC.  Wesenberg-Lund,  p.  156. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  69 

the  season,  and  the  roughness  of  the  surface  water,  waves  causing 
the  incrustation  to  break  up  and  fall  off.  The  deposit  is  formed 
incidentally  by  chemical  precipitation  upon  the  surface  of  the 
plants,  probably  only  upon  the  green  parts,  and  in  performance  of 
usual  processes  of  assimilation  of  the  plant  organism. 

§ 4.  Cause  of  deposition  upon  aquatic  plants. 

All  green  plants,  whether  aquatic  or  terrestrial,  take  in  the  gas, 
carbon  dioxide,  through  their  leaves  and  stems,  and  build  the 
carbon  atoms  and  part  of  the  oxygen  atoms  of  which  the  gas  is 
composed  into  the  new  compounds  of  their  own  tissues,  in  the  pro- 
cess releasing  the  remainder  of  the  oxygen  atoms.  Admitting 
these  facts,  which  are  easily  demonstrated  by  any  student  of  plant 
physiology,  we  have  two  possible  general  causes  for  the  formation 
of  the  incrustation  upon  all  aquatic  plants. 

If  the  calcium  and  other  salts  are  in  excess  in  the  water,  and 
are  held  in  solution  by  free  carbon  dioxide,  then  the  more  or  less 
complete  abstraction  of  the  gas  from  the  water  in  direct  contact 
with  plants  causes  precipitation  of  the  salts  upon  the  parts  ab- 
stracting the  gas,  namely,  stems  and  leaves.  But  in  water  con- 
taining amounts  of  the  salts,  especially  of  the  calcium  bicarbonate, 
so  small  that  they  would  not  be  precipitated  if  there  were  no  free 
carbon  dioxide  present  in  the  water  at  all,  the  precipitation  may  be 
considered  a purely  chemical  problem,  a solution  of  which  may  be 
looked  for  in  the  action  upon  the  bicarbonates,  of  the  oxygen  set 
free  by  the  plants.  Of  these,  calcium  bicarbonate  is  the  most 
abundant,  and  the  reaction  upon  it  may  be  taken  as  typical  and 
expressed  by  the  following  chemical  equation : 

CaH2  (003)2  “f"  O = H20  -j-  CaC03  -j-  0O2  -(-  O 

calcium  ) . , , \ calcium  . \ carbon  , 

bicarbonate  [ + oxygen  = water+  j carbonate+  j dioxide  + oxygen 

in  which  the  calcium  bicarbonate  is  converted  into  the  normal  car- 
bonate* by  the  oxygen  liberated  by  the  plants,  and  both  carbon 
dioxide  and  oxygen  set  free,  the  free  oxygen  possibly  acting  still 
farther  to  precipitate  calcium  monocarbonate. 

It  is  probable  that  the  plants  actually  do  precipitate  calcium 
carbonate,  both  by  abstracting  carbon  dioxide  from  the  water  and 
freeing  oxygen,  which  in  turn  acts,  while  in  the  nascent  state,  upon 
the  calcium  salt  and  precipitates  it,  but  in  water  containing  rela- 
tively small  amounts  of  calcium  bicarbonate  the  latter  would  seem 


*Which  is  only  very  slightly  soluble,  100  parts  to  the  million. 


70 


MABL. 


to  be  the  probable  method.  In  all  likelihood  these  methods  for 
accounting  for  the  precipitation  of  calcium  carbonate  will  suffi- 
ciently explain  the  ordinary  thin  and  relatively  insignificant  in- 
crustation which  is  found  on  the  higher  plants,  but  for  the  algae 
it  is  doubtful,  or  even  improbable  that  they  account  for  all  the 
facts,  as  will  be  shown  further  on. 

The  calcium  salt  is  deposited  in  minute  crystals,  and  by  the 
aggregation  of  these  crystals  the  incrustation  is  formed  on  the 
plants.  The  crystals  are  distinguishable  as  such  only  for  a short 
time  on  the  newer  growth  of  plants,  but  the  incrustations  are  said 
to  show  a recognizable  and  characteristic  crystalline  structure 
when  examined  in  thin  section  under  a compound  microscope  with 
polarized  light. 

§ 5.  Relative  importance  of  Chara  (Stonewort). 

Not  all  aquatic  plants  in  the  same  lake  seem  equally  active  in 
the  precipitation  of  mineral  matter.  Not  even  all  species  of  the 
same  genera,  although  growing  side  by  side,  will  be  coated  equally, 
a fact  which  seems  to  indicate  some  selective  metabolic  processes 
not  understood.  Considering  the  precipitation  of  calcium  car- 
bonate by  plants  as  established,  even  if  the  exact  physiological 
and  chemical  processes  by  which  this  precipitation  is  brought 
about,  are  not  yet  worked  out  fully,  it  is  still  necessary  to  consider 
the  constancy  of  the  action  and  the  sufficiency  of  the  agency  to 
produce  the  extensive  deposits  of  marl  which  are  known. 

If  one  confines  his  studies  simply  to  the  seed-producing  plants 
and  other  large  vegetable  forms  which  are  conspicuous  in  lakes 
during  the  summer  season,  while  he  will  find  them  covered  with  a 
thin  coating  of  manifestly  calcareous  matter,  he  will  at  once  be 
convinced  that  such  work  as  these  plants  are  doing  is  but  a small 
factor  in  the  total  sedimentation  of  the  lake.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  a visit  be  made  to  a lake  in  early  spring  or  late  fall,  all  plants  of 
the  higher  types  will  not  be  found,  so  that  it  becomes  apparent 
that  this  agency  is  merely  a seasonal  one  and  works  intermittently. 
Farther  study  of  the  plants  of  the  same  body  of  water,  however, 
shows  that  the  algae,  the  less  conspicuous  and  entirely  submerged 
plant  organisms  must  be  taken  into  account  before  we  finally 
abandon  plants  as  the  agents  of  precipitation.  Of  these,  two 
groups,  differing  widely  in  structure,  habits  and  method  of  precipi- 
tation, will  be  found.  The  first  and  most  conspicuous,  and  probably 
the  most  important  as  well,  is  the  Cliaraceae  or  Stoneworts.  These 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  71 

plants  are  well  known  to  botanists,  and  may  readily  be  recognized 
by  their  jointed  stems,  which  have  at  each  joint  a whorl  of  radiat- 
ing 'leaves  and  branches,  which  are  also  jointed.  Both  stems  and 
branches  are  made  up  of  long  tubular  cells,*  extending  the  length 
of  the  internodes  or  spaces  between  the  joints.  There  is  a large 
cell  in  the  middle  and  a series  of  smaller  ones  around  it,  their  walls 
touching  but  not  usually  compressing  each  other,  so  that  the 
cylindrical  shape  of  each  cell  is  generally  maintained  and  the  cross 
section  of  the  stem  appears  like  a relatively  large  ring  surrounded 
by  a single  row  of  small  ones  tangent  to  each  other,  and  to  the 
central  large  one.  The  outer,  or  cortical  cells,  are  usually  more  or 
less  spirally  twisted  around  the  large  central  one,  and  all  the  cells 
are  thin  walled  and  delicate,  the  plants  containing  no  thick  walled 
tissue  or  cells  of  any  sort.  The  structure  of  the  plant  is  so  well 
marked  and  peculiar,  that  it  cannot  well  be  mistaken  for  that  of 
any  other,  and  so  makes  it  easy  to  identify  even  small  fragments  of 
it.  In  some  species  the  stems  and  branches  are  covered  with  a 
thick  coating  of  mineral  matter,  are  almost  white,  and  very  brittle 
because  of  this  covering.  These  plants  not  only  grow  near  the  sur- 
face in  shallow  water  of  our  ponds  and  lakes  where  the  bottom  is 
unoccupied  by  other  plants,  but  in  the  deeper  parts  as  well,  and,  as 
they  thrive  where  light  is  feeble,  they  continue  to  grow  throughout 
the  year,  although  in  winter  they  must  grow  less  rapidly  than  in 
summer,  because  ice  and  snow  on  the  surface  of  the  lakes  make  less 
favorable  light  conditions. 

Analytical  Tests. 

The  sufficiency  of  these  plants  alone  to  fix  and  deposit  calcium 
carbonate  in  large  quantities  is  indicated  by  the  following:  In 

November,  1899,  the  writer  collected  a large  mass  of  plants  of 
Chara  sp.  ?,  from  which  five  stems,  with  a few  branches,  were  taken 
at  random  and  without  any  particular  care  being  taken  to  prevent 
the  brittle  branches  from  breaking  off.  The  stems  were  each 
about  60  cm.  long,  and  after  being  dried  for  some  days,  they  were 
roughly  ground  in  a mortar  and  dried  for  one-half  hour  at  100 
degrees  C.,  dried  and  weighed  until  the  wTeight  was  constant.  The 
weight  of  the  total  solid  matter  obtained  in  this  way  from  five 
plants  was  3.6504  grams,  0.73  grams  per  plant.  This  was  treated 
with  cold  hydrochloric  acid  diluted,  twenty  parts  of  water  to  one 


*See  Plate  XVI. 


72 


MARL. 


of  acid,  filtered,  washed,  and  the  residue  dried  at  100  degrees  C., 
on  a weighed  filter  paper,  until  weight  was  constant.  The  weight 
of  insoluble  matter  was  0.5986  grams;  of  the  total  soluble  matter 
3.0518  grams,  or  .6103  grams  per  plant.  In  the  lake  from  which 
the  material  analyzed  was  derived  >from  50  to  80  plants  were 
counted  to  the  square  decimeter  of  surface  in  the  Ohara  beds. 

A partial  quantitative  analysis  of  material  from  the  same  source, 
but  using  stronger  acid  to  effect  solution  (hydrochloric  acid,  diluted 
with  four  parts  of  water,)  gave  the  following  results: 


Insoluble  residue 11.19$ 

Iron  and  aluminum  oxides 0.722 

Calcium  carbonate 76.00 

Magnesium  carbonate 2.359 


Soluble  organic  matter  obtained  by  difference  9.279 

The  composition  of  the  insoluble  residue  was  obtained  by  heating 
the  residue  to  redness  in  a platinum  crucible  for  one-half  hour, 
and  the  11.19  per  cent  of  this  matter  was  found  to  consist  of: 


Combustible  and  volatile  matter 9.243$=82.6$ 

Mineral  matter 1.947  =17.4 

The  mineral  matter  was  found  to  be: 

Silica  1.787$=92.4$ 

Not  determined 160  = 7.6 


Microscopic  examination  showed  the  silica  to  be  largely  com- 
posed of  whole  and  broken  tests  of  diatoms,  minute  plants  which 
secrete  silicious  shells  and  attach  themselves  to  the  Chara  stems 
and  branches. 

The  mineral  matter  obtained  in  this  analysis,  reduced  to  parts 
per  hundred,  gives  the  following: 


Calcium  carbonate  93.76 

Magnesium  carbonate  2.93 

Silica  and  undetermined  mineral  matter 2.40 

Iron  and  aluminum  oxides 89 


This,  with  a small  decrease  in  the  mineral  matter  and  a small 
amount  of  organic  matter  added,  would  be  the  composition  of 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  73 


ordinary  marls,  and  would  be  a suitable  sample  to  consider  in  con- 
nection with  Portland  Cement  manufacture. 

The  large  amount  of  silica  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  the 
material  analyzed  was  collected  at  a season  when  diatoms  are 
especially  abundant. 

The  following  is  a copy  of  an  analysis  of  the  marl  from  the  beds 
lying  about  the  lake  from  which  the  Chara  plants  were  taken. 
This  analysis  was  made  by  L.  G.  Leltz,  chemist  for  the  Alma  Sugar 
Company,  season  of  1900-1901: 


H20  and  organic  matter 7.438$ 

Sand  (insoluble  silica)  0.104 

Carbon  dioxide  38.48 

Calcium  oxide  52.28 

Iron  and  aluminum  oxides 0.61 

Magnesium  oxide  0.455 

Sulphur  trioxide  0.32 

Soluble  silica  0.0532 

Chloralkalies  0.07 

Phosphorus  pentoxide  0.12 


99.9302 

It  may  be  well  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  many  marls, 
especially  those  of  large  deposits,  which  the  writer  has  examined 
chemically,  the  silica  has  been  found  to  be  mainly  in  the  form  of 
diatom  shells,  and  hence,  because  of  the  small  size  and  great 
delicacy  of  structure,  it  is  available  as  a source  of  silica  for  calcium 
silicate  in  cement  making.  If  such  deposits  as  are  made  up  largely 
of  diatom  shells  were  adjacent  to  marl  beds,  it  is  possible  they 
might  be  considered  as  clay  and  be  used  in  cement  making. 

Some  of  the  silica  in  marl  was  found  by  mechanical  analysis  to 
consist  of  grains  of  white  quartz  of  rather  large  size  for  sand. 
These  may  have  been  carried  into  the  lake  by  winds,  by  drifting  ice, 
by  fish  or  by  birds.  The  fact  that  these  sand  grains  were  white 
and  of  a rounded  character,  would  point  to  the  fish  or  to  birds, 
which  use  such  matter  in  their  gizzards,  as  most  probable  agents 
of  transportation,  especially  as  no  dark  colored  grains  were  found. 

From  the  above  considerations,  it  is  evident  that  both  because  of 
the  quality  and  quantity  of  its  works,  Chara  may  be  considered  an 
important  agent  in  marl  production,  and  it  only  becomes  necessary 
to  account  for  the  chalky  structure  of  the  deposits  to  make  the 
chain  of  evidence  complete. 

10-Pt.  Ill 


74 


MARL. 


All  algse  are  plants  of  very  simple  structure,  without  tough  or 
complicated  tissues.  Chara  stems  and  branches  are  made  up  of 
aggregations  of  thin  walled  cells,  and  when  the  plants  die  the 
cell  walls  must  rapidly  decay  and  the  residue  of  lime  be  left.  In  a 
laboratory  experiment  to  determine  this  factor,  it  was  found  that 
a mass  of  the  broken-up  plants  in  the  bottom  of  a tall  glass  vessel 
filled  with  water  became  decomposed  very  quickly,  giving  the  char- 
acteristic odor  of  decaying  vegetable  matter,  and  after  a few  weeks 
all  organic  matter  had  disappeared,  leaving  the  incrustations  in 
tubular,  very  brittle  fragments. 

In  studying  the  structure  of  marl,  the  writer  fias  found  that  near 
the  top  of  the  beds  there  is  usually  a “sandy,”  or  even  a coarsely 
granular  structure.  This  is  noticeable  at  times,  at  all  depths  from 
which  the  samples  are  taken,  i.  e.,  in  some  cases  it  extends  through 
the  bed.  Close  examination  of  such  marl  shows  that  this  coarse- 
ness is  due  to  the  remains  of  the  characteristic  Chara  incrustations, 
and  that  the  “sand”  and  other  coarse  material  is  made  up  of  easily 
identifiable  fragments  of  the  coatings  of  stems  and  branches  of  the 
plant.  The  presence  of  such  coarse  matter  near  the  top  of  the 
beds  may  be  considered  due  to  sorting  action  of  the  waves,  and 
such  surface  currents  as  may  be  caused  in  ponds  and  small  lakes, 
in  shallow  water,  by  wind  action.  If  these  agents  are  effective  in 
producing  the  coarser  parts  of  the  deposits  they  may  also  be  con- 
sidered so  in  connection  with  the  finer  parts  as  well,  for  the  matter 
produced  by  the  breaking  and  grinding  up  of  fragments  is  held  in 
suspension  for  a longer  or  shorter  time,  carried  about  by  currents, 
and  finally  sinks  to  the  bottom  in  the  quieter  and  deeper  parts  of 
the  lakes.  This  has  not  been  left,  however,  as  mere  conjecture,  but 
a series  of  mechanical  analyses  of  typical  white  marl  from  different 
localities  was  made.  The  method  of  analysis  used  was  a simple 
one,  a modification  of  the  beaker  method,  used  in  soil  analysis. 
The  samples,  chosen  at  random  from  large  average  specimens  from 
the  deposits  under  investigation,  were  dried  in  an  air  bath  at  110° 
C.,  for  sufficient  time  to  remove  any  included  moisture,  and  weighed. 
Each  sample  was  then  mixed  with  distilled  water  in  a large  beaker 
and  thoroughly  stirred  with  a rubber  tipped  glass  rod,  care  being 
taken  to  keep  up  the  stirring  until  all  lumps  caused  by  the  adhesion 
of  the  finer  particles  to  the  coarser  had  been  broken  up.  Care  was 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  75 


also  taken  that  no  more  crushing  should  take  place  than  was 
absolutely  necessary. 

After  disintegration  of  all  lumps  was  accomplished,  the  water 
with  the  finer  particles  in  suspension,  was  poured  off  into  another 
beaker,  and  fresh  water  added  to  the  first  and  the  material  again 
stirred.  This  was  continued  until  the  water  was  nearly  free  from 
the  finer  matter  and  became  clear  on  standing  a short  time.  The 
coarse  material  left  in  the  bottom  of  the  beaker  was  dried,  sorted 
into  various  grades  by  a series  of  sieves  and  each  grade  weighed. 
The  finer  material  was  also  sorted  by  stirring,  settling  and  decanta- 
tion, and  that  of  different  degrees  of  fineness  dried  and  weighed. 
The  finest  matter  was  separated  from  the  water  by  filtering  through 
a weighed  filter  and  the  water  concentrated  by  evaporation  and 
again  filtered  to  remove  any  of  the  calcium  carbonate  dissolved 
in  the  various  processes,  and  the  final  residue  of  water  was  evap- 
orated in  a watch  glass  and  weighed.  An  exceedingly  interesting 
feature  of  this  latter  experiment  was  the  finding  of  a water  soluble 
calcium  salt,  in  small  quantity  it  is  true,  but  still  easily  weighable, 
and  not  to  be  neglected.  The  results  of  such  an  analysis  of  a 
sample  from  the  Cedar  Lake  marl  beds  gave  the  following  results. 
The  sample  was  the  one  of  which  a chemical  analysis  is  given  above, 
and  was  taken  from  a hole  made  with  a spade  by  cutting  away 
the  turf  over  the  marl,  then  taking  out  sufficient  marl  to  be  rea- 
sonably sure  that  there  was  no  peat  or  other  surface  matter  pres- 
ent, and  the  sample  used  from  a spadeful  thrown  out  from  two 
or  three  feet  below  this.  From  this  sample  about  thirty  grams 
were  taken  and  treated  as  described  above,  and  after  the  coarser 
material  had  been  separated  from  the  finer  by  washing  and  drying, 
it  was  passed  through  a set  of  standard  guage  sieves  20,  40,  60,  80 
and  100  meshes  to  the  linear  inch,  after  which  all  shells  and  recog- 
nizable shell  fragments,  sand  grains  and  vegetable  fragments  up  to 
the  60-mesh  siftings  were  removed  and  weighed  separately. 

The  following  grades  of  material  were  obtained  by  this  sorting: 
(1)  That  too  coarse  to  pass  through  the  20-mesh  sieve,  (2)  that  held 
by  the  40-mesh  sieve,  (3)  that  held  by  the  60-mesh,  (4)  that  held  by 
the  80-mesh,  (5)  that  held  by  the  100-mesh,  (6)  that  which  passed 
through  100-mesh,  (7)  that  which  was  filtered  out,  (8)  water  soluble 
salts,  (9)  shells,  shell  fragments,  etc. 


76 


MARL. 


Analysis  (1)  is  the  result  of  the  analysis  made  and  the  material 
graded  as  described: 


Cedar  Lake  Marl. 

Littlefield  Lake 
Marl. 

Coldwater  Marl. 

Residue  from 
dead  Chara. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Grade  (1) 

32.25% 

31.52% 

0.36% 

1.12% 

“ (2) 

6.06 

14.48 

3.53 

24.43 

“ (3) 

7.58 

12.76 

6.51 

14.63 

“ (4) 

2.90 

2.56 

3.34 

8.26 

“ (5) 

4.81 

6.74 

6.44 

7.81 

“ (6) 

15.64(1) 

j-  30.42 

| 28.99 

j 49.12 

| 33.83 

“ (7) 

“ (8) 

j 30.52 

0.27 

1.02 

0.39 

“ (9) 

0.28 

1.04 

0.69 

0.12 

100.04 

99.89 

100.00 

90.59 

(i)In  this  case  determined  by  drying  down  the  residue  and  weighing. 


A second  analysis  was  made  from  a specimen  made  up  of  twenty 
samples  taken  by  boring  with  an  augur  over  about  one-half  the 
deposit  at  Littlefield  Lake,  Isabella  County,  most  of  the  samples 
coming  from  a depth  of  at  least  twenty  feet  below  the  surface  of 
the  deposit.  This  analysis  is  given  as  2: 


Grade 

cc 

cc 

cc 

cc 

CC 

Cl 

Cl 

Cl 


(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 


= 31.52# 
= 14.48 
= 12.76 
= 2.56 
= 6.74 

= 30.42 

= 0.27* 
= 1.04 


99.89 


A third  sample  from  the  holdings  of  the  Michigan  Portland 
Cement  Company,  at  Coldwater,  a fine  high  grade  white  marl,  very 
powdery,  gave  Analysis  3: 


Grade 

(1) 

Cl 

(2) 

Cl 

(3) 

1C 

(4) 

Cl 

(5) 

Cl 

f6) 

Cl 

(7) 

Cl 

(8) 

Cl 

(9) 

Soluble  matter  and  loss  by  difference 


= 0.36# 

ss  3.53 

= 6.51 

= 3.34 

= 6.44 

— 28.99 

=49.12 

not  determined. 

= 0.69 

= 1.02 


100.00 


*The  soluble  matter  contains  a certain  undetermined  amount  sodium  and  potassium 
salts  as  well  as  soluble  calcium  compound. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  77 

These  samples  represent  (1)  the  central,  (2)  the  north  central  and 
(3)  the  southern  parts  of  the  Lower  Peninsula  of  Michigan,  respec- 
tively, and  may  be  taken  as  typical  of  the  marl  deposits  of  Mich- 
igan. When  it  is  stated  that,  in  general,  it  is  easily  possible  to 
recognize  with  a simple  microscope,  particles  which  are  held  by  the 
100-mesh  sieve  or  even  those  which  pass  through  it,  if  the  finer 
matter  has  been  carefully  separated  by  washing,  as  characteristic 
Chara  incrustation,  or  Schizothrix  concretions,  it  will  be  seen  that 
these  results  show  conclusively  that  a large  part  of  the  marl  from 
these  three  samples  is  identifiable  as  of  algal  origin  and  studies 
of  the  marl  from  other  localities  give  similar  results.  The  Cold- 
water  sample  (3)  was  exceedingly  fine  in  texture,  and  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  avoid  loss  in  sorting  and  weighing,  as  every  current  of  air 
carried  away  some  of  the  particles,  and  some  also  adhered  to  the 
sieves  and  weighing  dishes,  in  spite  of  all  the  usual  precautions 
against  such  loss.  Even  this  sample  shows  nearly  fifty  per  cent 
of  easily  identifiable  Chara  incrustation.  The  fineness  of  the 
particles  in  a given  marl  bed  varies  much  in  different  parts  of  the 
bed  and  the  degree  of  fineness  is  probably  largely  dependent  upon 
the  conditions  of  current  and  wave  action  under  which  the  bed  was 
formed  as  noted  in  another  place.  This  fact  was  noted  at  Little- 
field Lake,  where  samples  of  marl  were  collected  along  exposed 
shores  near  the  wave  line,  which  were  ninety-five  per  cent  coarse 
fragments  of  Chara  incrustation  and  Schizothrix  nodules,  while 
in  other  parts  of  the  shore  line  the  marl  was  of  such  fineness  that 
it  was  like  fine  white  clay. 

References  in  Literature. 

Fragments  of  the  Chara  incrustation  are  generally  easily  rec- 
ognized, even  when  of  minute  size,  because  they  preserve,  usually 
very  perfectly,  but  sometimes  less  so,  the  peculiar  form  of  the 
stem,  branches,  leaves  and  fruits  of  the  plant.  This  fact  has  led 
various  authors,  both  geologists  and  botanists,  to  note  the  occur- 
rence of  “fossil”  Chara  stems  and  fruits  in  the  beds  of  lakes  and 
even  in  marl  beds.  Sir  Charles  Lyell*  as  early  as  1829  described  a 
marl  bed  in  Forfarshire,  mentioning  as  especially  interesting  the 
finding  of  “fossil”  Chara  fruits  and  stems.  In  two  editions  of  the 
“Principles  of  Geology, ”f  which  have  been  consulted,  the  same 


*Lyell  “On  a recent  formation  of  fresh  water  Limestone  in  Forfarshire.”  Trans- 
actions Geolog-.  Society,  2,  p.  241,  1829. 
f6th  Ed.,  Vol.  3,  p.  350,  1842  ; 9th  Ed.,  p.  766-7,  1853. 


78 


MARL. 


writer  points  out  the  importance  of  the  remains  of  Chara  to  the 
geologist  in  characterizing  entire  groups  of  strata,  and  describe^ 
and  figures  the  fruits  and  stems  of  recent  species  Chara  hispida  from 
Bakie  Loch,  Forfarshire.  He  also  mentions  the  occurrence  of 
Chara  in  abundance,  in  several  lakes  in  New  York  State.  Geikie* 
mentions  the  occurrence  of  Chara  as  a true  fossil  in  the  beds  of  “a 
form  of  travertine  from  which  fresh  water  shells  and  a rich  assemb- 
lage of  plants  have  been  obtained.”  These  beds  are  “lower  Eocene, 
the  limestones  of  Rilly  and  Sizanne,  Basin  of  Paris.”  Chara  Lyelli 
fruits  are  figured. 

Kernerf  says,  “The  spore  fruits  of  Stoneworts  (Characese)  have 
been  found  over  and  over  again  inclosed  in  these  formations  of 
lime.”  He  points  out  also  that  it  is  possible  for  calcareous  strata 
of  great  depth  to  be  produced  by  plants  in  fresh  water. 

SchimperJ,  Solms-Laubach§,  Seward||  and  Wesenberg-Lundfl  all 
mentioned  these  plants  as  agents  of  deposition  of  lime  formations, 
the  latter  especially  showing  the  plants  able  to  produce  extensive 
deposits  of  what  he  terms  “Characee-lime”  in  the  lakes  of  Denmark. 

Mosely**,  in  speaking  of  the  deposits  of  “tufa”  about  the  remark- 
able springs  near  Castalia,  Ohio,  mentions  the  fact  that  the  deposit 
“is  composed  mostly  of  petrified  Chara.” 

Even  when  this  structure  is  destroyed,  as  may  be  the  case  with 
the  thin  and  incomplete  incrustations,  it  is  frequently  possible  to 
recognize  fragments  of  the  tubes  with  the  compound  microscope. 
Finally  in  Chara  as  in  other  plants  the  incrustation  is  distinctly 
crystalline  in  the  ultimate  form  of  the  constituent  particles,  and 
when  it  has  disintegrated,  the  crystals  and  their  fragments  are 
found  to  constitute  a large  per  cent  of  the  finer  particles  of  the 
resulting  marl.  On  the  growing  tips  of  the  younger  branches  and 
leaves  of  Chara,  numbers  of  isolated  crystals  of  calcium  carbonate 
may  be  seen,  and  farther  back  the  crystals  become  more  numerous, 
then  coalesce  into  a thin  fragile  covering,  and  finally  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  plant  the  covering  becomes  dense  and  thick.  It  is  evi- 
dent, therefore,  that  the  decay  of  the  younger  parts  of  the  plants 
would  furnish  a mass  of  more  or  less  free  or  loosely  aggregated 

*A.  Geikie;  Text-book  of  Geology,  2nd  Edition,  p.  853,  p.  859,  1859. 

fKerner  and  Oliver;  Nat.  Hist,  of  Plants,  Vol.  1,  p.  261. 

ISchimper,  W.  Ph.  “Traite  de  Paleontologie  Vegetale,”  Vol.  1,  p.  216,  1869. 

§Solms-Laubach,  Fossil  Botany,  pp.  36-37,  1S91. 

HSeward,  A.  C.,  Fossil  Plants,  V,  p.  69,  pp.  222-228,  1898. 

tiWesenberg-Lund.  C.,  loc.  cit.,  pp.  155-156. 

**Moselv,  E.  L..  Sandusky  Flora,  p 87,  Ohio  State  Academy  of  Science,  special 
papers,  No.  1,  1899. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  79 


crystals  of  microscopic  size  which  would  retain  their  crystalline 
form,  in  some  degree  at  least,  for  an  indefinite  time  and  be  recog- 
nizable, hence  the  presence  of  these  micro-crystals  in  marl  is  an- 
other indication  of  the  origin  of  the  deposits. 

Source  of  Thick  Crusts. 

The  larger  fragments  of  Chara  incrustation  as  found  in  marl 
are  frequently  much  thicker  and  heavier  than  those  which  occur 
among  the  fragments  of  recent  origin,  namely  those  obtained  from 
any  part  of  living,  vigorously  growing  Chara  from  beds  of  the  plant 
existing  in  the  ponds  from  which  the  marl  may  have  been  obtained. 

While  the  subject  needs  further  investigation,  it  is  probable  that 
such  thickened  incrustations  have  originated  in  several  ways,  the 
principal  ones  being,  if  the  writer’s  notes  have  any  bearing  on  the 
subject,  as  follows: 

First,  On  short,  stunted  plants  that  grow  for  a long  time  on 
unfavorable  soil,  such  as  sand,  or  pure  marl.  Such  plants  have 
relatively  very  short  internodes,  and  generally  thick  incrustations. 

Second,  From  the  growth  of  the  lime  secreting  blue-green  algse, 
such  as  Schizothrix,  Zonotrichia,  etc.,  either  upon  living  Chara,  or 
upon  fragments  of  broken  incrustation  as  a nucleus. 

Third,  From  the  inclusion  of  the  fragments  within  the  nodules 
formed  by  the  growth  of  the  blue-green  incrusting  algse  in  shal- 
low water  and  the  subsequent  destruction  of  the  nodules  by  wave 
or  other  disintegrating  action,  in  which  case,  the  thickened  frag- 
ments may  be  left  either  free,  or  attached  to  other  material.  In 
this  way,  several  fragments  may  be  cemented  together  and  such 
aggregations  have  been  observed  by  the  writer. 

Fourth,  By  the  deposition  of  calcium  carbonate  on  fragments  of 
incrustations,  a deposition  caused  by  the  decomposition  of  soluble 
organic  calcium  salts,  left  free  in  the  water  by  the  decay  of  dead 
Chara  plants,  through  the  reducing  action  of  chemical  compounds 
derived  from  the  decay  of  organic  matter,  or  the  growth  of  bacteria, 
or  both. 

Fifth,  By  the  deposition  in  more  or  less  coarsely  crystalline  form 
of  the  calcium  carbonate  which  is  dissolved  by  water  percolating 
through  the  marl.  This  is  probably  considerable  in  amount  and 
takes  place  in  a manner  analogous  to,  if  not  identical  with,  the 
formation  of  concretions  in  clays  and  shales.  It  is  probable  that 
in  this  way,  the  crystals  may  be  formed  wThich  rather  rarely  are 


80 


MAUL. 


found  filling  the  cavities  left  by  the  large  axial  cells  in  Chara 
incrustations.  The  fact  that  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  these 
cell  cavities  are  entirely  empty,  or  simply  mechanically  filled  with 
fine  particles  of  marl,  is  the  most  serious  objection  to  considering 
that  this  form  of  chemical  precipitation  is  an  important  one  in  the 
history  of  marl,  but  that  it  is  occasionally  operative  is  most  prob- 
able. 

Sixth,  It  is  possible  that  the  thick  incrustations  may  have  been 
formed  at  some  earlier  period  in  the  history  of  the  lakes  when  con- 
ditions were  more  favorable  for  the  development  of  Chara  and  its 
activities  were  greater.  This  is  not  probable,  however,  for  the 
thick  incrustations  are  frequently  found  from  the  surface  of  the 
marl  beds  throughout  the  deposits. 

A check  analysis  was  made  of  a specimen  of  material  made  up 
from  the  washings  and  fragments  of  a mass  of  Chara  plants  col- 
lected from  Cedar  Lake,  and  allowed  to  die  slowly,  and  break  up  in 
water  kept  cold  and  fresh  by  conducting  a small  stream  from  the 
hydrant  through  it.  The  plants  gradually  died,  broke  up  and  set- 
tled to  the  bottom  of  the  containing  vessel,  and  seemed  to  undergo 
farther  disintegration  there,  eventually  forming  a relatively  finely 
divided  deposit  which  was  of  rather  dark  color  when  wet.  A 
quantity  of  this  was  dried  at  100  degrees  C.,  some  of  the  larger  and 
longer  fragments  of  stems  were  removed  and  the  residue  weighed 
and  subjected  to  the  same  treatment  as  the  marl  samples.  Ten 
grams  was  the  amount  taken,  and  the  analysis  yielded  the  re- 
sults given  by  No.  4,  page  76. 

It  will  be  seen  that  nearly  as  much  fine  matter  was  present  in 
this  material  as  in  the  finest  of  the  marls  analyzed  and  that  the 
finer  grades  of  sifted  material  are  quite  as  well  represented,  as  in 
the  finer  marl.  The  material  is  somewhat  more  bulky  for  a given 
weight  and  is  perhaps  slightly  darker  in  color,  but  not  much  more 
so,  than  many  samples  of  marl.  Grade  for  grade  it  is  identical  in 
appearance  and  structure  to  the  marl  samples,  and  the  only  pos- 
sible difference  that  can  be  detected  is  the  slightly  greenish  tint 
due  to  the  organic  matter  present  in  the  plant  residue.  It  is  also 
noticeable  that  the  larger  pieces  do  not  show  as  thick  an  incrusta- 
tion as  do  larger  pieces  from  the  marl  samples,  and,  of  course, 
Schizothrix  and  other  coarse  matter  is  not  present. 

It  will  be  seen  by  inspecting  the  analyses  that  shells  and  recog- 
nizable shell  fragments  are  but  a very  insignificant  part  of  the 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  I HE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  81 


total  quantity  of  the  marl.  It  is  surprisingly  small  when  all  things 
are  taken  into  account.  While  it  is  probably  true  that  not  all  the 
minute  shell  fragments  have  been  separated  in  any  of  these 
analyses,  it  is  also  true  that  the  weight  of  such  particles  as  were 
overlooked,  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by  marl  fragments,  which 
are  included  within  the  cavities  of  the  whole  shells  and  adhere  to 
both  broken  and  whole  shells,  in  crevices  and  sculpturings,  in  such  a 
way  as  to  refuse  to  become  separated  in  the  processes  of  washing 
out  the  marl.  The  whole  shells  are  mainly  small  fragile  forms, 
many  of  them  immature,  and  it  is  evident  that  they  would  be  broken 
by  any  action  that  would  crush  the  Chara  incrustation. 

§ 6.  Marl  beds  without  Chara. 

As  is  easily  observed  in  many  marl  lakes,  and  as  has  been  pointed 
out  to  the  writer  by  several  students  of  lake  life,  marl  beds  are 
often  found  in  parts  of  lakes  in  which  there  are  no  well  developed 
beds  of  Chara. 

At  least  two  explanations  of  this  may  be  offered  without  appeal- 
ing to  other  modes  of  marl  formation,  both  of  which  may  be  ap- 
plicable, either  independently  or  together,  in  individual  cases. 
The  first  of  these  is  that  such  beds  of  marl  were  formerly  occupied 
by  Chara,  but  for  some  reason  or  reasons,  the  conditions  for  growth 
became  unfavorable  and  the  colonies  disappeared,  or  became  insig- 
nificant and  escaped  notice.  The  second  explanation  takes  into 
account  the  action  of  waves  and  currents  upon  the  deposits  near 
thriving  growths  of  Chara  and  assumes  that  the  more  remote  marl 
deposits  may  be  the  result  of  such  action  combined  with  the  trans- 
porting power  of  the  surface  and  other  currents  which  may  exist 
in  the  lakes. 

In  support  of  the  former  consideration  are  the  notes  of  Dr. 
Henry  B.  Ward  on  Pine  Lake  in  the  Traverse  Bay  Region  of  Mich- 
igan. He  says:* 

“Pine  Lake  has  undoubtedly  undergone  some  considerable 
modification,  within  recent  geological  times.  The  old  outlet 
to  the  northward  is  easily  traced  through  a line  of  tamarack 
swamp  to  Susan  Lake; — thence  to  Lake  Michigan,  it  follows  a 
small  stream  which  is  at  present  the  outlet  of  Susan  Lake.  The 
marl  bottom  which  underlies  a very  considerable  part  of  Pine  Lake 
can  by  borings  be  found  not  far  from  the  surface  at  various  points 
around  the  lake.  The  gravel  and  glacial  drift  are  evidently  at 
present  being  washed  out  into  the  lake  over  the  marl  and  the  thick- 

*H.  B.  Ward,  “A  Biological  Examination  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  the  Traverse 
Bay  Region.”  Bull.  Mich.  Fish  Com.  No.  6,  p.  65. 

11-PT.  Ill 


82 


MARL. 


ness  of  the  latter  decreases  gradually  as  one  recedes  from  the  shore. 
Mollusca  are  not  very  abundant  and  while  the  species  recorded  by 
Mr.  Walker  are  recent  and  most  of  them  at  least  found  in  this 
locality  at  present,  the  existing  conditions  are  inadequate  to  ac- 
count for  such  a bed  of  marl,  and  I am  inclined  to  believe  it  to  be 
the  bed  of  an  older  lake  now  gradually  disappearing.” 

He  also  says: 

“On  the  marl  one  finds  no  living  thing  save  here  and  there 
scanty  tufts  of  dwarfed  Chara,  which  was  never  found  in  fruit:  it 
was  uniformly  encrusted  by  heavy  calcareous  coating.” 

Here,  as  the  author  sti  clearly  points  out,  there  has  been  a change 
in  the  lake  within  recent  geological  time  and  with  this  it  is  possible 
that  the  agencies  producing  the  marls  have  become  less  active.  The 
fact  that  Dr.  Ward  mentioned  Chara  as  growing  abundantly  on 
the  south  arm  of  the  lake  would  point  to  that  plant  having  been 
more  abundant  formerly  than  now,  but  as  the  lake  has  not  been 
visited,  nor  specimens  of  the  marl  seen  by  me,  no  claim  is  made  that 
the  beds  described  were  formed  by  Chara. 

§ 7.  Association  of  marl  and  peat. 

Chara  may  also  be  looked  upon  as  an  important  agent  in  giving 
the  peculiar  distribution  to  marl  which  has  been  noticed  by  every- 
one who  has  “prospected”  beds  of  this  material.  The  fact  is  fre- 
quently noticed  that  beds  of  several,  and  even  as  much  as  twenty 
or  more,  feet  in  thickness  will  “run  out”  abruptly  into  beds  of 
“muck,”  or  pure  vegetable  debris  (peat),  of  equal  thickness.  This 
distribution  may  show  that  up  to  a certain  time  conditions  un- 
favorable to  the  growth  of  Chara  and  favorable  to  other  plants 
obtained,  until  a depth  of  water  was  reached  at  which  Chara  was 
able  to  occupy  the  bed  of  muck,  covering  it  from  the  bottom  up, 
and  holding  the  steep  slope  of  the  muck  in  place  by  mechanically 
binding  it  there  by  its  stems  and  the  root-like  bodies  by  which  it  is 
connected  with  the  mud.  From  the  time  when  the  Chara  began  its 
occupation  of  the  muck  the  amount  of  organic  matter  left  would 
decrease,  and  the  amount  of  calcareous  deposit  would  increase, 
until  the  latter  predominated.  The  disturbing  factors  of  currents 
and  waves  can  be  disregarded,  for  these  abrupt  unions  of  marl  and 
muck  are  found,  so  far  as  the  observations  of  the  writer  go,  in  most 
sheltered  places,  and  not  where  either  currents  or  wraves  could  ever 
have  operated  with  any  force  or  effectiveness.  Moreover,  in  a lake 
where  the  marl  is  evidently  now  actively  extending,  the  slope  was 
observed  to  be  nearly  perpendicular,  and  the  steep  banks  thus 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  83 


formed  were  thickly  covered  with  growing  Ohara  to  the  exclusion 
of  other  large  forms  of  plant  life,  and  the  lower  parts  of  the  grow- 
ing stems  were  buried  in  mud  which  was  mainly  pure  marl. 

§ 8.  Turbidity  due  to  marl. 

That  the  finer  parts  of  marl  deposits  may  readily  be  moved  from 
place  to  place  in  lakes  in  which  they  exist  and  where  any  part  of 
the  deposit  is  exposed  to  wave  action,  seems  demonstrated  by  a 
series  of  studies,  suggested  by  the  milky  appearance  of  the  waters 
of  some  marl  lakes.  This  has  been  considered  by  some  investi- 
gators as  possibly  due  to  the  presence  of  calcium  carbonate,  pre- 
cipitated from  the  water,  either  by  liberation  of  dissolved  carbon 
dioxide  or  by  a change  of  temperature  of  the  water  after  it  has 
reached  the  lakes.*  The  writer  has  not  found  among  the  marl 
lakes  of  Central  Michigan,  that  those  with  turbid  water  were  com- 
mon, even  where  marl  banks  were  apparently  forming  with  con- 
siderable rapidity.  “Merl”  or  Marl  Lake  in  Montcalm  County, 
situated  on  the  same  stream  as  Cedar  Lake,  and  a mile  or  more 
below  it,  is,  however,  one  of  the  lakes  in  which  the  water  is  usually 
of  almost  milky  whiteness  and  has  sufficient  suspended  matter  in 
it  to  render  it  nearly  opaque  for  depths  over  a meter  or  a meter  and 
a half.  The  conditions  in  this  lake  are  widely  different  from  those 
at  Cedar  Lake  and  other  marl  lakes  in  the  vicinity  and  are  sug- 
gestive of  the  cause  of  the  turbidity.  At  Cedar  Lake,  there  is  a 
border  of  grassy  and  sedgy  marsh  extending  around  the  lake  on 
three  sides,  that  is  generally  underlain  by  marl,  and  the  lake  bot- 
tom slopes  sharply  and  abruptly  from  the  edge  of  the  marsh  to  a 
depth  of  at  least  10  meters.  In  other  words  the  lake  is  simply  a 
deep  hole,  with  steep  sides,  and,  perhaps,  represents  the  deepest 
part  of  the  more  extensive  lake  which  formerly  occupied  the  area 
included  by  the  marsh  and  marl  beds.  This  marsh  covering  is 
generally  found  upon  all  the  marl  beds  of  the  region  and  the  lake 
may  be  said  to  be  typical,  for  the  locality  in  which  it  lies,  for  there 
are  several  others  near  by,  which  are  practically  identical  in  essen- 
tial points  of  structure. 

At  Marl  Lake,  however,  the  filling  of  the  lake  has  not  reached 
the  same  stage.  There  is  practically  no  open  marsh,  but  the  lake 
is  shallow  for  seventy-five  or  a hundred  meters  from  the  shore,  then 
abruptly  deepens  to  an  undetermined  depth  over  a relatively  small 
area.  The  bottom  over  the  shallow  area  is  of  pure  white  marl  and 


*25th  Annual  Report,  State  Geologist  of  Indiana. 


84 


MARL. 


the  water  is  apparently  not  more  than  sixty  or  seventy  centimeters 
deep  at  the  margin  of  the  central  hole,  while  near  the  shore  it  is 
scarcely  a third  as  deep.  In  brief,  here  is  a lake  in  which  there  is 
a broad  platform  of  marl  surrounding  a deep  hole,  which  again,  is 
all  that  remains  of  the  deep  water  of  a lake  which  is  filling  ^ith 
marl.  Boring  shows  that  the  bed  of  the  lake  is  nearly  as  far  below 
the  surface  under  the  marl  platform  as  where  the  marl  has  not 
yet  been  deposited.  Upon  the  shoreward  margin  of  the  platform, 
and  in  small  areas  farther  out  upon  it,  the  turf-forming  plants  are 
beginning  to  establish  themselves,  but  as  yet  they  have  not  made 
any  marked  impression,  seeming  to  have  a hard  struggle  to  get  a 
foothold. 

The  conditions  are  then,  a broad  area  of  shallow  water,  overlying 
a wide  platform  of  marl,  which,  if  a strong  wind  should  reach  it, 
would  be  stirred  to  its  depths,  and  with  it,  the  lighter  parts  of  the 
marl  upon  which  it  rests.  The  marl  thus  stirred  up,  in  turn  is 
carried  to  all  parts  of  the  lake  by  surface  and  other  currents  and 
makes  the  water  turbid. 

These  facts  led  to  an  investigation  into  the  rapidity  with  which 
marl  once  stirred  up  would  settle  out  of  perfectly  still  water  and 
some  interesting  results  were  obtained.  The  experiments  were 
made  as  follows: 

(1)  A glass  tube  1.58  m.  long  and  2.5  cm.  wide  was  filled  with  dis- 
tilled water,  and  a quantity  of  finely  divided  marl  was  added  and 
thoroughly  mixed  by  shaking.  The  tube  was  then  clamped  in  a 
vertical  position  and  left  perfectly  still  until  the  marl  had  settled 
out,  record  being  kept  of  the  rate  of  settling.  At  first  the  heavier 
particles  settled  rapidly,  forming  as  does  clay  in  settling  out  from 
water  with  which  it  is  mixed,  distinct  stratification  planes,  which 
after  a few  days  disappeared,  and  only  the  lighter  parts  of  the  marl 
remained  in  suspension.  These  were  distinctly  visible  for  five 
weeks  on  looking  through  the  tube  towards  a good  light,  and  at 
the  end  of  six  weeks  a black  object  lowered  into  the  tube,  in  a well 
lighted  room,  was  not  visible  beyond  90  cm.  from  the  surface  of 
the  water. 

(2)  A glass  cylinder  with  a foot,  88  cm.  high  and  7 cm. 
wide,  having  a capacity  of  a little  more  than  a litre  was  nearly 
filled  with  distilled  water  and  the  residue  from  the  washings  of  a 
sample  of  marl  from  which  the  coarser  matter  had  been  separated, 
was  thoroughly  ^ shaken  up  in  it.  This  was  left  to  subside  as  in 


(JO  NT  BIB  U TION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  85 


the  first  experiment,  and  at  the  end  of  ten  weeks  the  bottom  of 
the  vessel  was  barely  visible.  The  results  obtained  by  Barus,*  in 
his  work  on  the  subsidence  of  solid  matter  in  suspension  in  liquids, 
show  that  settling  is  much  more  rapid  in  water  containing  dis- 
solved salts  even  in  small  proportion  than  in  distilled  water,  so 
check  experiments  were  made  as  follows:  (1)  A cylinder  approxi- 

mately the  size  of  the  one  used  in  the  second  experiment  above, 
was  filled  with  water  in  which  a small  amount  of  calcium  chloride 
had  been  dissolved,  and  ammonium  carbonate  was  added  until  a 
precipitate  was  formed.  The  contents  of  the  jar  were  then 
stirred  thoroughly  and  left  to  settle.  In  three  days  the  entire  pre- 
cipitate had  settled  out  and  the  liquid  was  clear.  In  this  case, 
however,  it  was  deemed  probable  that  the  conditions  were  not  at 
all  like  those  occurring  in  nature  and  a second  experiment  in  which 
the  marl  was  shaken  up  with  the  ordinary  natural  water  of  the 
region,  obtained  from  a river  partly  fed  by  marl  lakes.  In  com- 
parison with  distilled  wrater  the  subsidence  wras  notably  more  rapid 
than  from  distilled  wrater  for  the  finer  part  of  the  marl,  but  for 
fifteen  days  there  was  distinct  turbidity  noticeable. 

These  results  indicate  that  if  for  any  cause  the  marl  in  one  of 
the  marl  lakes  is  stirred  up  effectually,  as  it  may  be  where  the  beds 
are  exposed  to  wave  action,  that  the  water  will  remain  turbid  for 
some  time,  and  the  chances  are  that  even  in  summer  time  there 
will  be  sufficiently  frequent  high  winds  to  keep  the  water  always 
turbid.  It  may  be  stated  that  in  some  of  the  lakes  which  have  been 
studied  by  the  writer  the  marl  has  filled  the  entire  lake  to  within  a 
meter  or  less  of  the  surface  of  the  water,  with  some  parts  even 
shallower.  Until  such  shallows  are  occupied  by  plants  and  turfed 
over,  the  water  is  likely  to  be  turbid  from  the  mechanical  action  of 
waves  upon  the  deposits.  At  Littlefield  Lake,  described  else- 
where,f the  water  is  only  slightly  turbid,  although  there  are  exten- 
sive marly  shallows  and  exposed  banks,  but  there  the  body  of  the 
water  is  extensive  and  of  considerable  depth,  while  the  greater 
part  of  the  exposed  marl  is  granular  and  the  particles  too  coarse 
to  be  held  long  in  suspension,  and  the  finer  parts  too  small  and  too 
well  protected  to  be  reached  by  effective  waves,  so  that  the  amount 
of  suspended  marl  is  not  great  enough  to  produce  marked  turbidity 
in  the  entire  body  of  water.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  residue 

*Subsidence  of  fine  solid  particles  in  liquids,  Carl  Barus,  Bull.  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey, 
No.  36. 

fJournal  of  Geology,  VIII,  No.  6,  and  this  report,  p.  92. 


86 


MARL. 


filtered  out  from  the  sample  of  Chara  fragments  (Analysis  4)  was 
sufficiently  fine  to  give  a marked  turbidity  to  distilled  water  for 
several  days  and  at  the  time  of  filtering  had  not  subsided.  It  is 
difficult  to  account  for  the  fact  that  the  deeper  parts  of  marl  lakes 
are  generally  free  from  any  thick  deposits  of  a calcareous  nature. 
Lack  of  records  of  sufficient  exploration  makes  any  statement 
purely  tentative,  but  about  7-9  meters  seems  to  be  limit  of  depth 
of  the  recorded  occurrence  of  Chara  plants.*  The  remains  of  the 
plants  then  would  only  accumulate  in  place,  over  bottoms  above 
that  depth,  and  the  material  reaching  greater  depths  would  have  to 
be  that  held  in  suspension  in  the  water,  hence  be  relatively  small 
in  quantity  and  accumulate  slowly.  A probable  additional  cause 
is  that  in  the  greater  depths  (i.  e.,  over  9 meters)  a greater  abun- 
dance of  dissolved  carbon  dioxide,  due  to  the  decomposition  of 
organic  matter  in  relatively  cold  water  under  pressure,  dissolves 
the  fine  particles  of  marl  which  reach  these  depths,  but  at  present 
no  data  are  at  hand  on  which  to  base  a conclusion  as  to  the  exact 
efficiency  of  this  cause. f 

§ 9.  Conclusions. 

From  these  investigations  it  seems:  First,  that  marl,  even  of 

the  very  white  pulverulent  type,  is  nearly  made  up  of  a mixture  of 
coarse  and  finer  matter,  covered  up  and  concealed  by  the  finer 
particles,  which  act  as  the  binding  material.  Second,  that  the 
coarser  material  is  present  in  proportion  of  from  50$  to  95$  of  the 
entire  mass.  Third,  that  this  coarser  material  is  easily  recog- 
nizable with  the  unaided  eye  and  hand  lens  as  the  incrustation  pro- 
duced on  Schizothrix  and  Chara,  principally  the  latter,  to  particles 
less  than  one  one-hundredth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Fourth,  that 
the  finer  matter  is  largely  recognizable  under  the  compound  micro- 
scope as  crystalline  in  structure  and  derived  from  the  algal  in- 
crustations by  the  breaking  up  of  the  thinner  and  more  fragile 
parts  or  by  disintegration  of  the  younger  parts  not  fully  covered. 
Fifth,  that  some  of  this  finer  matter  is  capable  of  remaining  sus- 
pended in  water  a sufficient  time,  after  being  shaken  up  with  it,  to 
make  it  unnecessary  to  advance  any  other  hypothesis  to  explain 
the  turbidity  of  the  water  of  some  marl  lakes,  than  that  it  is 
caused  by  mechanical  stirring  up  of  the  marl  by  waves  or  other 

*C.  Wesenberg-Lund:  Loc.  cit..  p.  156.  A.  J.  Pieters:  Plants  of  Lake  St.  Clair, 
Bull.  Mich.  Fish  Commission,  No.  2,  p.  6.  Compare,  however,  reports  of  the 
Indiana  Survey. 

fBut  see  tests  11  and  12,  etc.,  of  water  in  the  Cloverdale  district,  p.  46.  L. 


CO  NT  RIB  V TION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  87 

agency.  Sixth,  that  shells  and  shell  remains  are  not  important 
factors  in  the  production  of  the  marl  beds  which  are  of  the  largest 
extent.  Seventh,  there  is  in  marl,  a small  amount  of  a water  sol- 
uble calcium  salt,  possibly  calcium  succinate,  readily  soluble  in  dis- 
tilled water  after  complete  evaporation  of  the  water  in  which  it  was 
first  dissolved. 

§ 10.  Method  of  concentration  by  Chara. 

After  these  facts  were  developed  studies  were  undertaken  to  de- 
termine the  method  of  concentration  and  precipitation  of  the  cal- 
cium carbonate  by  Chara.  Some  such  studies  have  already  been 
reported  upon  by  various  authors,  but  none  of  these  have  appar- 
ently been  exhaustive,  and  the  original  papers  are  not  at  hand  at 
the  present  writing,  although  abstracts  of  the  more  important  ones 
have  been  seen. 

As  has  been  already  indicated  elsewhere,  the  calcium  carbonate 
is  present  on  the  outside  of  the  plant  as  an  incrustation  and  this  is 
made  up  of  crystals,  which  are  rather  remote  and  scattered  on  the 
growing  parts  of  the  plants  and  form  complete  covering  on  the 
older  parts,  which  is  uniformily  thicker  on  the  basal  joints  of  the 
stems  than  it  is  on  the  upper  ones.  Considering  the  hypothesis 
that  the  deposition  of  the  salt  was  the  result  of  purely  external 
chemical  action,  as  not  fully  capable  of  satisfying  all  the  existing 
conditions,  the  formation  of  the  incrustation  was  taken  up  as  a 
biological  problem  and  investigation  was  made  upon  the  cell  con- 
tents, at  first,  microscopically  by  the  study  of  thin  sections.  Vari- 
ous parts  were  sectioned  while  still  living  and  the  attempt  was 
made  to  find  out  if  the  calcium  carbonate  were  present,  as  part 
of  the  cell  contents  in  recognizable  crystalline  form.  In  no  case 
were  such  crystals  found,  although  reported  by  other  observers. 

Next  an  attempt  was  made  to  determine  the  presence  of  the  cal- 
cium in  soluble  form  in  the  cell  contents  by  the  use  of  a dilute 
neutral  solution  of  ammonium  oxalate.  An  immediate  response 
to  the  test  was  received  by  the  formation  of  great  numbers  of  min- 
ute characteristic  octahedral  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate  on  the 
surface  and  embedded  in  the  contracted  protoplasmic  contents  of 
the  cells.  The  number  of  these  crystals  was  so  large  and  they  were 
so  evenly  distributed  through  the  cell  contents,  that  it  was  evident 
that  a large  amount  of  some  soluble  calcium  salt  was  diffused 
through  the  cell  sap  of  the  plant.  The  next  step  was  to  isolate 
this  compound  and  to  determine  its  composition.  A considerable 


88 


MARL. 


quantity  of  the  growing  tips  of  Chara  were  rubbed  up  in  a mortar 
and  the  pulp  was  thoroughly  extracted  with  distilled  water.  This 
water  extract  was  filtered,  concentrated  by  evaporation  on  a water 
bath,  and  tested  to  determine  the  presence  of  calcium.  An  abun- 
dant precipitate  was  again  obtained  by  using  ammonium  oxalate, 
which  on  being  separated  and  tested  proved  to  be  calcium  oxalate. 
It  was  evident  that  the  calcium  salt  in  the  plant  was  stable  and 
readily  soluble  in  water.  This  latter  fact  was  farther  demon- 
strated by  evaporating  some  of  the  extract  to  dryness  and  again 
taking  it  up  with  water.  Almost  the  entire  amount  of  the  calcium 
salt  was  redissolved,  only  a small  portion  of  it  becoming  insoluble, 
precipitating  as  the  carbonate.  This  ready  solubility  demonstrated 
that  the  salt  was  not  derived  from  the  incrustation  on  the  portions 
of  the  plant  used,  and  the  same  fact  excluded  from  the  list  of  pos- 
sible compounds,  salts  of  the  more  common  organic  acids  found  in 
plant  juices.  Qualitative  chemical  tests  were,  however,  made  to 
determine,  if  possible,  whether  any  of  these  acids  were  present, 
with  negative  results,  and  it  was  demonstrated  by  this  means  that 
there  was  but  a single  salt  present  and  not  a mixture.  Search  was 
then  made  to  determine  the  acid  present  and  a result  was  obtained 
which  was  so  unexpected  that  it  was  seriously  questioned,  and  the 
work  was  gone  over  again.  The  second  result  confirmed  the  first, 
and  the  work  of  ascertaining  the  correctness  of  these  two  results 
was  turned  over  to  Mr.  F.  E.  West,  Instructor  in  Chemistry  in  Alma 
College,  who  had  special  training  and  much  practice  in  organic 
analysis.  His  work  was  done  entirely  independently  with  material 
gathered  at  a different  season,  and  by  another  method  of  analysis, 
but  his  results  were  identical  with  my  own  and  show  that  calcium 
exists  in  the  water  extract  of  Chara  as  calcium  succinate, 
Ca  (C4H404).  The  fact  that  the  succinate  is  one  of  the  few  water 
soluble  salts  of  calcium  and  that  there  is  a soluble  salt  of  the  metal 
in  the  cell  sap  of  the  plant,  makes  it  probable  that  this  is  the  com- 
pound which  the  plant  accumulates  in  its  cells.  It  is  not  yet  pos- 
sible, from  actual  investigation,  to  explain  the  method  by  which 
the  calcium  salt  is  abstracted  from  the  lake  water,  where  it  exists 
as  the  acid  or  bicarbonate,  or  as  the  sulphate,*  in  small  per  cent, 
and  concentrated  in  the  cells  of  the  plant  as  the  calcium  succinate 
and  later  deposited  upon  the  outsides  of  the  small  cells  as  the 

*The  formation  of  CaC03  incrustation  by  Chara  in  water  impregnated  with 
CaSO*  accompanied  by  the  liberation  of  H2S  is  reported  in  a book  called  the 
“Universe.” 


CONTBIB TJTION  TO  THE  NATUBAL  HISTOBY  OF  MABL.  89 

normal  or  monocarbonate  in  considerable  quantities.  Culture 
experiments  which  were  undertaken  by  the  writer  to  determine 
under  what  conditions  of  soil,  light  and  temperature  Chara  thrives 
best,  incidentally  demonstrated  that  the  plant  actually  gets  its 
lime  from  the  water  about  it  and  not  from  the  soil.  One  of  the 
soils  which  was  used  as  a substratum  in  which  to  grow  plants  was 
pure  quartz  sea-sand,  which  had  been  thoroughly  washed  and  tested 
with  acid  to  be  certain  that  no  calcium  salt  was  present  in  it.  The 
plants  grew  in  this  medium  readily,  and  on  the  newer  parts,  devel- 
oped nearly  if  not  quite  as  many  calcium  carbonate  crystals  as 
plants  growing  on  pure  marl.  It  should  be  apparent,  however,  to 
even  the  casual  observer,  that  the  plants  cannot  take  all  the  lime 
they  use  in  forming  incrustations  from  the  soil,  for  if  they  did  the 
marl  beds,  being  made  up  principally  of  Chara  remains,  would  never 
have  accumulated,  for  the  material  would  have  been  used  over  and 
over  again  and  could  not  increase  in  amount. 

In  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  of  the  life  processes  of 
aquatic  plants  it  seems  hardly  possible  to  state  the  probable 
method  of  formation  of  the  calcium  succinate  or  even  the  probable 
use  of  it  to  the  plant  and  no  attempt  will  be  made  by  the  writer 
just  here  to  do  so.  It  does  seem  probable,  however,  that  this  com- 
pound accumulates  in  the  cells  until  it  reaches  sufficient  density  to 
begin  to  diffuse  through  the  cell  walls  by  osmosis.  Outside  the 
cells  it  is  decomposed  directly  into  the  carbonate,  possibly  by  oxida 
tion  of  the  succinic  acid  by  free  oxygen  given  off  by  the  plants, 
possibly,  by  the  decomposition  of  the  acid  by  some  of  the  organic 
compounds  in  the  water  due  to  bacterial  growth  in  the  organic 
debris  at  the  bottom  of  the  mass  of  growing  Chara.  The  water 
extract  of  Chara  rapidly  changes  on  standing,  undergoes  putrefac- 
tive decomposition,  becomes  exceedingly  offensive  in  odors  devel- 
oped, and  a considerable  quantity  of  calcium  carbonate  crystallizes 
out  on  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  containing  vessel,  while  the 
succinic  acid  disappears,  gas  being  given  off  during  the  process 
more  or  less  abundantly.  Whether  these  changes  take  place  on 
the  outside  of  living  plants  has  not  yet  been  determined. 

In  regard  to  the  species  of  Chara  which  seems  to  be  the  active 
agent  in  precipitation  in  the  lakes  of  Central  Michigan,  it  is  the 
form  commonly  known  as  Chara  fragilis,  but  it  is  probable  that 
careful  study  of  the  species  throughout  the  range  of  the  marl  will 
reveal,  not  a single  form,  but  a number  of  allied  species,  engaged  in 
12-Pt.  Ill 


90 


MABL. 


the  same  work.  It  may  be  well  to  suggest  that  in  lakes  to  which 
silt  is  brought  by  inflowing  streams,  or  which  have  exposed  shores 
where  the  waves  are  constantly  cutting  and  stirring  up  rock  debris, 
the  more  slowly  accumulating  marls  will  be  either  so  impure  as  to 
be  worthless,  or  so  obscured  as  to  escape  notice  altogether,  even 
where  Chara  is  abundant.  It  may  also  be  pointed  out  that  shallow 
water,  strong  light,  and  a bottom  of  either  clay,  sand,  or  muck, 
present  conditions  favorable  for  the  growth  of  the  higher  vascular 
plants,  and  that  these  cause  such  rapid  accumulation  of  vegetable 
debris  that  the  calcareous  matter  may  be  hidden  by  it,  even  when 
Chara  is  a well  marked  feature  of  the  life  of  a given  lake. 

This  view  is  amply  supported  by  the  presence  of  large  accumula- 
tions of  Chara  plants  heavily  incrusted  with  calcium  carbonate, 
at  the  storm-wave  line  along  the  shore  of  Saginaw  Bay,  in  Huron 
County.  These  windrows,  however,  soon  disappear,  leaving  noth- 
ing more  than  a limy  layer  in  the  sand,  scarcely  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  rest  of  the  wave-washed  shore,  and  ultimately  all  trace 
of  them  is  lost. 

§ 11.  Blue-green  algrn  and  their  work. 

Another  plant  form,  like  Chara,  an  alga,  but  of  a much  lower 
type,  which  is  concerned  in  the  formation  of  marl,  is  one  of  the 
filamentous  blue-green  algae,  determined  by  Dr.  Julia  W.  Snow, 
of  Smith  College,  to  be  a species  of  Zonotrichia,  or  some  closely 
related  genus.  The  work  of  this  species  is  entirely  different  in 
its  appearance  from  that  of  Chara,  and  at  first  glance  would  not  be 
attributed  to  plants  at  all.  It  seems  to  have  been  nearly  over- 
looked in  this  country,  at  least,  by  botanists  and  geologists  alike, 
as  but  three  references  to  it  have  been  found  in  American  litera- 
ture.* Curiously  enough,  however,  material  very  similar,  if  not 
identical,  to  that  under  consideration  has  been  described  from 
Michigan  in  an  English  periodical  devoted  to  algse.f  In  this  the 
alga  is  identified  as  Schizotlirix  fasciculata  Goment.  Mr.  F.  S. 
Collins  of  Malden,  Mass.,  has  identified  Schizotlirix  fasciculata  as 
present  in  the  concretions  from  Littlefield  Lake,  but  does  not  spec- 
ify it  as  the  form  which  has  the  calcareous  covering.  The  plant 
grows  in  relatively  long  filaments  formed  by  cells  growing  end  to 
end,  and  as  they  grow,  the  filaments  become  incased  in  calcareous 

*McMillan:  Minn.  Plant  Life,  1899,  p.  41.  Penhallow:  Botanical  Journal,  1896. 

p.  215:  J.  M.  Clarke.  “The  Water  Biscuit  of  Squaw  Island,  Canandaigua  Lake, 
N.  Y.”  Bull,  of  the  N.  Y.  State  Museum,  No.  39,  Vol.  8,  p.  195,  1900. 

fG\  Murray:  Phycological  Memoirs  No.  XIII,  1895,  p.  9,  PI.  XIX. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  91 

sheaths.  The  feature  of  the  plant  which  makes  it  important  in 
this  discussion,  however,  is  its  habit  of  growing  in  masses  or  col- 
onies. The  colony  seems  to  start  at  some  point  of  attachment,  or 
on  some  object  like  a shell,  and  to  grow  outward  radially  in  all  di 
rections,  each  filament  independent  of  all  others  and  all  precipi- 
tating calcium  carbonate  tubules.  The  tubules  are  strong  enough 
to  serve  as  points  of  attachment  for  other  plants,  and  these  add 
themselves  to  the  little  spheroid,  and  entangle  particles  of  solid 
matter,  which  in  turn  are  held  by  new  growths  of  the  lime-precipitat- 
ing Zonotrichia,  and  thus  a pebble  of  greater  or  less  size  is  formed 
which  to  the  casual  observer  is  in  no  wise  different  from  an  ordi- 
nary water  rounded  pebble.  These  algal  calcareous  pebbles  show 
both  radial  and  concentric  structure  and  might  well  be  taken  for 
concretions  formed  by  rolling  some  sticky  substance  over  and  over 
in  the  wet  marl  on  which  they  occur  but  for  the  fact  that  a con- 
siderable number  of  them  show  eccentric  radial  arrangement,  and 
that  the  shells  of  accretion  are  likewise  much  thicker  on  one  side 
than  on  the  other,  and  finally,  because  the  side  which  rests  on  the 
bottom  is  usually  imperfect  and  much  less  compact  than  the  others. 
The  pebbles  are  characteristically  ellipsoidal  in  shape.  The  radial 
lines,  noticeable  in  cross  sections  of  the  pebbles,  are  considered 
by  the  writer  to  be  formed  by  the  growth  of  the  filaments  while  the 
concentric  lines  probably  represent  periods  of  growth  of  the  plants, 
either  seasonal  or  annual.  Included  within  the  structure  are  great 
numbers  of  plants,  besides  the  calcareous  Zonotrichia,  among  them 
considerable  numbers  of  diatoms,  and  it  is  probable  that  a large 
part  of  the  algal  flora  of  a given  lake  would  be  represented  by  in- 
dividuals found  in  one  of  these  pebbles.  It  is  probable  that  to  a 
certain  extent  they  disintegrate  after  the  plants  cease  to  grow, 
for  they  ^e  never  very  hard  when  wet.  It  is  possible  to  recognize 
them,  as  lumps  of  coarser  matter,  even  in  very  old  marl,  and 
the  writer  has  identified  them  in  marl  from  Cedar  Lake,  which 
was  taken  from  a bed  a foot  or  more  above,  and  several  rods 
away  from,  the  lake  at  its  present  level.  From  the  fact 
that  these  pebbles  have  been  found,  by  the  writer  in  four 
typical  marl  lakes  in  different  parts  of  Michigan  (in  Zukey 
Lake  and  Higgins  Lake  by  Dr.  A.  C.  Lane,  who  was  struck  with 
their  peculiar  character)  and  have  been  reported  from  a number 
of  others  by  Mr.  Hale  and  other  marl  hunters,  it  is  probable  that 
they  have  a wide  distribution  in  the  State  and  are  constant  if  not 


92 


MARL. 


important  contributors  to  marl  beds.  It  may  be  said  in  passing 
that  the  limy  incrustations  which  are  found  upon  twigs,  branches, 
shells,  and  other  objects  in  lakes  and  streams,  and  called  generally 
“calcareous  tufas,”  are  of  similar  origin  and  are  formed  by  nearly 
related,  if  not  by  the  same  plants  that  form  the  pebbles. 

Studies  have  been  begun  by  the  writer  to  solve,  if  possible,  some 
of  the  questions  which  have,  arisen  in  connection  with  the  state- 
ments embodied  in  this  paper,  but  enough  has  already  been  done 
to  show  that  these  forms  of  fresh-water  algse  are  important  lime- 
precipitating  agents  now,  and  to  suggest  the  possibility  that  in  all 
likelihood  they  have  been  more  active  in  former  geological  times, 
and  that,  as  has  been  suggested  again  and  again  by  botanists,  the 
formation  of  certain  structureless  limestones,  and  tufa  deposits 
may  have  been  due  to  their  work. 

§ 12.  Littlefield  Lake,  Isabella  County. 

Early  in  June,  1900,  the  writer  visited  this  interesting  body  of 
water,  and  from  its  peculiar  form,  and  the  deposits  about  it,  it 
seemed  worthy  of  special  description.* 

The  country  about  the  lake  is  of  a well-marked  morainal  structure, 
the  till,  however,  being  sandy  in  places,  and  noticeably  gravelly  and 
bouldery  throughout,  and  was  formerly  heavily  covered  with  pine. 
The  lake  occupies  a deep  depression  in  a trough-like  valley,  sur- 
rounded by  moderately  high  morainal  hills,  and  from  its  apparent 
connection  with  a series  of  swamp  valleys,  suggests  a glacial  drain- 
age valley,  but  as  it  was  not  followed  for  any  distance,  its  origin 
was  not  determined. 

The  lake  itself  is  about  one  and  one-half  miles  long,  by  three- 
fourths  of  a mile  broad  in  the  widest  part,  which  is  near  the  middle 
of  the  long  axis  and  the  shape  is  that  of  an  irregular  blunt  ended 
crescent.  It  was  said  to  be  over  eighty  feet  deep  in  the  deepest 
part,  but  no  soundings  were  made  by  the  writer.  Its  greatest  length 
is  from  northwest  to  southeast,  with  the  outlet  at  the  southern 
end.  There  are  no  considerable  streams  entering  it,  but  at  least 
three  small  brooks  fed  by  springs  from  the  surrounding  hills  were 
noted  flowing  in,  and  the  outlet  is  of  such  size  that  a boat  may  be 
easily  floated  on  it  at  high  water,  although  its  level  is  maintained 
during  the  summer  by  a dam  about  two  miles  below  the  lake.  The 
main  inlet  was  not  seen  by  the  writer. 


'See  Plate  XIX. 


OONTB1BUTION  TO  THE  NA  TUBAL  HIS  TO  BY  OF  MABL.  93 


The  shore  lines  are  relatively  regular,  especially  on  the  east  and 
north  sides,  the  convex  side  of  the  crescent,  with  banks  twenty  or 
more  feet  high  close  to  the  water  on  the  east,  while  on  the  west 
side  are  two  rather  deeply  indented  bays.  At  either  end  are  three 
small  ponds,  parasite,  or  daughter  lakes,  and  surrounding  the  entire 
shore  except  on  the  eastern  side,  and  the  northeastern,  or  inlet,  end 
is  a cedar  swamp  which  is  underlaid  by  marl.  The  outlet  is  through 
the  most  southerly  of  the  daughter  lakes,  and  the  entire  shore  of 
the  lake  is  formed  by  beautifully  white  marl,  the  exposures  vary- 
ing in  width  from  a few  feet  to  three  or  four  rods  in  width,  so  that 
as  one  overlooks  the  lake  from  one  of  the  surrounding  hills  it  seems 
to  lie  in  a basin  of  white  marble. 

There  are  three  small  islands  in  the  lake,  two  relatively  near 
together  at  the  northern  end,  and  one  quite  near  the  shore  at  the 
south  end.  These  islands  are  also  of  marl,  covered  partly  with  a 
thin  layer  of  vegetable  matter  and  a scanty  growth  of  grass, 
bushes  and  cedar.  There  is  a visible  connection,  under  water,  be- 
tween at  least  one  of  the  islands  and  the  shore,  and  it  is  probable 
that  all  of  them  are  thus  connected  by  submerged  banks.  The 
marl  on  the  islands  is  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  deep,  with  sand 
below. 

Explorations  in  the  swampy  border  of  the  lake,  show  that  the 
shore  was  formerly  more  irregular  than  now,  and  that  the  marl 
extends  back  from  the  water  in  some  places  for  at  least  one-fourth 
of  a mile,  gradually  becoming  more  and  more  shallow  until  the 
solid  gravel  or  clay  is  reached.  The  marl  is  frequently  thirty  feet 
deep  along  the  shore  and  at  no  place  was  it  found  to  be  less  than 
fifteen  feet  deep  at  the  present  shore  line,  the  shallowest  places 
being  along  the  shore  where  the  high  bank  comes  down  near  the 
water.  The  deepest  vegetable  deposit,  or  peat,  found  in  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  borings  in  all  parts  of  the  deposit  was  three  feet. 
The  main  deposits  of  marl  are  about  the  southeast  end  and  along 
the  western  side  of  the  lake,  with  a body  of  considerable  size,  under- 
lying a swampy  area  at  the  north  end.  Of  the  six  daughter  lakes, 
four  are  very  small,  an  acre  or  two  in  extent  and  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  deep  marl,  the  connection  between  three  of  them  and 
the  mother  lake  being  shallow  and  narrow,  a few  inches  deep,  and 
a few  feet  wide,  and  only  existing  at  high  water,  while  two  of  the 
other  three  are  of  much  larger  size,  with  marl  points  extending 
out  from  either  side  of  the  straits  which  are  still  relatively  wide  and 
deep. 


94 


MABL. 


Of  the  two  bays  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  one  is  much  nar- 
rower than  the  other  and  at  the  mouths  of  both,  marl  points  are 
extending  towards  each  other  to  a noticeable  degree. 

At  all  points  along  the  shore,  the  slope  of  the  marl  is  very  abrupt 
from  the  shallow  water  to  the  bottom,  always  more  than  forty-five 
degrees,  and  frequently  nearly  ninety,  this  steepness  being  notice- 
able in  the  small  as  well  as  in  the  parent  lakes,  while  on  the  east 
side  of  the  island,  at  the  south  end  of  the  lake,  the  wall  of  marl 
seemed  positively  to  overhang,  although  this  appearance  was  prob- 
ably due  to  refraction. 

The  texture  of  the  deepest  part  of  this  marl  deposit  is  apparently 
that  of  soft  putty,  a sounding  rod  passed  through  it  with  com- 
parative ease,  and  samples  brought  up  have  a yellowish  or  creamy 
color,  which  disappears  as  they  dry,  leaving  the  color  almost  pure 
white.  At  the  surface  the  marl  is  coarser,  slightly  yellowish  and 
more  compact.  Where  it  lies  above  the  water  line  it  is  distinctly 
made  up  of  granular  and  irregular  angular  fragments,  resembling 
coarse  sand,  but  the  fragments  are  very  brittle,  soft  and  friable, 
and  may  be  converted  into  powder  by  rubbing  between  the  thumb 
and  fingers. 

On  the  parts  of  the  shores  where  apparently  the  wave  action  is 
chiefly  exerted,  there  are  small  rounded  calcareous  pebbles,  mixed 
with  molluscan  shells,  drift  material  and  considerable  quantities 
of  stems,  branches  and  more  or  less  broken  fragments  of  the  alga, 
Chara,  all  parts  of  which  are  heavily  incrusted  with  calcareous 
matter.  This  Ohara  material  was  often  piled  up  in  wdndrows  of 
considerable  extent  at  the  high  water  mark. 

The  marl  banks  of  the  lake,  from  a little  below  the  water’s  edge 
down  as  far  as  could  be  seen,  were  generally  thickly  covered  with 
growing  Chara,  at  the  time  of  the  writer’s  visit  and  wherever  a 
plant  of  it  was  examined  it  had  a heavy  coating  of  limy  matter, 
which  was  so  closely  adherent  to  the  plant,  as  to  seem  a part  of  it, 
and  because  of  this  covering,  the  plants  were  inconspicuous,  and 
would  easily  escape  notice. 

Little  if  any  other  vegetation  of  any  character  wras  growing  in 
the  lakes  at  this  season.  Indeed,  from  the  steep  slope  of  the  banks 
of  marl,  it  would  be  hardly  possible  for  any  considerable  amount  of 
vegetation  of  higher  types  than  algae,  to  flourish  here,  because  of  the 
lack  of  light  at  the  depth  at  which  it  would  have  to  grow  to  establish 
itself. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  95 


As  Chara  of  several  species,  is  known  to  occur  within  our  limits, 
at  depths  as  great  as  thirty  feet,  and  probably  grows  at  even 
greater  depths,  where  the  water  is  clear  and  the  bottom  soil  is  of 
the  right  character,  i.  e.,  of  clay,  finely  divided  alluvial  matter,  marl, 
etcv  it  is  apparent  that  there  must  be  an  immense  growth  of  this 
type  of  plants  in  such  a lake  as  the  one  under  discussion.  That  there 
is  an  abundance  of  Chara  in  Littlefield  Lake  is  shown  by  the  amount 
of  drift  material,  composed  of  the  plant,  which  had  accumulated 
in  heaps  at  the  high  water  wave  marks  along  the  shore  at  various 
places. 

From  even  a casual  inspection  of  this  drift  accumulation,  it  is 
evident  that  it  is  the  source  of  much  of  the  granular  and  sandlike 
marl  on  the  beaches,  and  in  the  coarse  upper  layers  of  the  deposit. 
This  wind  and  wave  accumulated  material  was  dry  and  bleached, 
and  was  very  brittle,  so  fragile  indeed,  that  a mere  touch  was 
generally  sufficient  to  break  it  into  fragments  and  it  passed  by 
insensible  gradation  from  the  perfect,  unbroken,  dried  plant  form 
at  the  high  water  mark,  in  which  every  detail,  even  the  fruit,  is 
preserved,  to  inpalpable  powder  at,  and  below  the  water’s  edge. 

In  other  words  we  have  in  Chara,  a plant  of  relatively  simple 
organization,  and  one  able  to  grow  in  abundance  under  most  con- 
ditions of  light  and  soil  which  are  unfavorable  to  more  highly  de- 
veloped types,  a chief  agent  in  gathering,  and  rendering  insoluble, 
or  precipitating,  calcium  and  other  mineral  salts  brought  into  the 
lake  from  the  clays  of  the  moraine  around  it  by  the  stream,  spring 
and  seepage  waters.  After  precipitation  is  accomplished  and  the 
plant  is  dislodged,  or  dies,  it  drifts  ashore,  where  after  decomposing 
and  drying  out  the  small  amount  of  vegetable  matter,  the  various 
erosive  agents  at  work  along  shore  break  up  the  incrusting  chalky 
matter,  and  the  finer  fragments  are  carried  into  deeper  water,  the 
coarser  are  left  along  the  lines  of  wave  action. 

The  pebbles  mentioned  above  as  occurring  on  parts  of  the  shore, 
are  also  the  result  of  the  development  and  growth  of  an  alga,  Zono- 
trichia  or  a nearly  related  genus,  a much  lower  type  than  Chara, 
having  a filamentous  form.  The  vegetable  origin  of  these  pebbles 
would  not  be  suspected,  until  one  is  broken  open  when  recently 
taken  from  the  water,  when  it  is  found  to  show  a radiating  struc- 
ture of  bluish  green  lines,  the  color  indicating  the  presence  of  the 
plants,  as  it  is  characteristic  of  the  group  to  which  Zonotrichia 
belongs. 


96 


MARL. 


The  relation  of  the  deposits  about  Littlefield  Lake  to  the  direc- 
tion of  the  prevailing  strong  winds  of  the  region,  is  probably  signi- 
ficant. 

The  area  of  deposition  is  at  the  southeast  end  and  along  the  whole 
western  side  of  the  lake.  The  winds  which  would  be  most  effective 
in  the  valley  of  the  lake  would  be  those  from  the  north  and  north- 
west, which  would  drive  the  surface  waters  down  the  lake  towards 
the  southern  end,  and,  striking  the  shore  on  the  eastern  side,  cur- 
rents formed  thus  would  be  turned  across  the  lake  to  the  west,  de- 
positing sediment  at  the  turning  area  and  in  slack  water  beyond. 
The  daughter  lakes  are  not  easily  accounted  for,  except  in  a general 
way,  that  they  were  formerly  deep  bays,  which,  by  the  building 
out  of  points  of  marl  on  either  side  of  their  mouths,  were  finally 
enclosed.  The  tendency,  already  noted,  for  existing  bays  to  have 
points  of  marl,  of  spit-form,  extend  from  either  side  of  the  mouth 
would  seem  to  indicate  this  as  a probable  method  of  formation. 
On  the  island  at  the  south  end  of  the  lake  there  was  manifestly  a 
strong  current,  which  was  running  southeasterly  and  depositing 
fine  marl  on  the  east  side  of  the  island,  the  wind  at  the  time  the 
observation  was  made,  blowing  gently  from  a few  points  north  of 
west. 

As  has  been  already  noted,  the  islands  consist  of  marl  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  deep,  the  bottom  on  which  they  are  built 
up  being,  to  judge  from  soundings,  made  with  an  iron  rod,  of 
rather  fine  sand.  These  foundations  of  sand  have  deeper  water 
all  around  them,  if  soundings,  said  to  have  been  made  by  local 
fishermen,  can  be  relied  upon,  so  it  is  possible  they  represent  shal- 
lows in  the  original  lake  bottom,  upon  which  after  Ohara  had  estab- 
lished itself,  the  marl  accumulated,  both  by  direct  growth  of  the 
plants  and  by  sedimentation.  It  may  be  worthy  of  mention,  that 
the  Chara  growing  on  the  steep  banks,  may  in  part,  account  for 
their  steepness,  by  acting  as  holding  agents,  bind  the  particles  of 
sediment  in  place  by  stems  and  the  rootlike  organs  which  the  plant 
sends  into  the  mud.  It  is  probable  that  but  a small  part  of  the 
Chara  that  grows  in  the  lake,  ever  reaches  the  shore  wave  line,  and 
much  must  break  up  by  the  purely  chemical  processes,  resulting 
from  the  organic  decay  in  relatively  deep  water. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  97 


APPENDIX,  ON  THE  SHELLS  OF  MARLS. 

BY  BRYANT  WALKER. 

Detroit,  Michigan,  Nov.  25th,  1901. 

A.  C.  Lane,  Esq.,  Lansing,  Michigan: 

My  Dear  Sir. — I enclose  my  report  on  the  mollusks  fqund  in  the 
seventeen  lots  of  marl  material  received  from  yourself  and  Prof. 
Davis  during  the  last  two  years.  I have  not  included  the  recent 
species,  of  which  several  lots  were  received  from  Prof.  Davis,  as  their 
determination  was  not  particularly  pertinent  to  the  marl  fauna. 
I can  send  you  a list  of  them  if  you  desire.  There  is,  however,  noth- 
ing of  special  interest  in  them  and  the  list  of  Saginaw  Valley  shells, 
which  you  made  use  of  in  your  former  report,*  will  include  them  all. 

Taken  as  a whole  the  fauna  of  the  marl  deposits  does  not  differ 
from  the  present  fauna  of  that  portion  of  the  State  from  which 
they  come.  Nor  have  I found  in  the  specimens  from  any  particular 
locality  any  special  peculiarities,  which  would  indicate  peculiar 
local  conditions  of  environment.  Individual  variations  occur  more 
or  less  frequently,  but  no  more  than  is  often  found  in  similar  col- 
lections of  recent  species.  The  inference  is,  therefore,  that  the  marl 
fauna  lived  under  substantially  the  same  environmental  conditions 
as  the  present  fauna  does  or  at  least  not  sufficiently  different  to 
produce  any  special  or  characteristic  variations. 

The  one  species  peculiar  to  the  marl  deposits  of  this  State  is 
Pisidium  contortum  Prime.  It  was  originally  described  from  the 
Post-glacial  formation  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.  It  occurs  abundantly  in 
the  marl  deposits  both  in  Michigan  and  Maine.  It  has  recently 
been  found  living  in  one  locality  in  the  latter  State  and  it  is  quite 
possible  that  it  may  yet  be  found  alive  in  this  State.  But  so  far  as 
our  present  knowledge  extends  it  is  extinct  in  Michigan.  Why 
this  one  species  out  of  the  fifteen,  to  say  nothing  of  the  other 
genera  represented  in  the  marl,  included  in  our  list,  should  have 
failed  to  survive,  while  all  the  others  are  still  abundantly  repre- 
sented in  our  present  fauna  is  very  curious.  I have  been  entirely 
unable  to  imagine  any  adequate  explanation. 

The  characteristic  feature  of  the  marl  fauna  is  the  great  relative 
abundance  of  certain  of  the  smaller  species.  This  is  especially 
noticeable  in  Planorbis  parvus  Say,  Yalvata  tricarinata  Say  and 

* Vol.  VII,  Part  III. 

13-Pt.  Ill 


98 


MARL. 


Amnicola  limosa  Say  and  lustrica  Pils.  Tlie  larger  Planorbis  bi- 
carinatus  Say  and  campanulatus  Say  occur  in  nearly  every  lot  of 
material,  but  the  number  of  individuals  is  comparatively  small. 
Pisidium  both  in  the  number  of  species  and  individuals  is  also  a 
characteristic  feature  of  the  marl  as  it  is  indeed  of  our  prest  nt 
fauna.  There  is  probably  no  district  in  the  United  States,  in  which 
this  genus  abounds  to  a greater  extent,  both  in  species  and  individ- 
uals than  in  the  inland  waters  of  this  State. 

The  terrestrial  species  represented  in  the  marl  are  few  both  in 
number  and  individuals.  This  is  what  would  naturally  be  expected, 
as  those  that  do  occur  are  the  occasional  examples  that  have  been 
washed  into  the  water  from  the  adjacent  land.  Such  as  have  been 
found  present  no  peculiarities  as  compared  with  recent  specimens 
from  the  same  region. 

The  almost  complete  absence  of  the  Unionidce  from  the  collec- 
tions is  also  noticeable. 

The  peculiar  variations  noted  in  Yalvata  tricarinata  Say  from 
Cement  City  are  of  considerable  interest.  A similar  tendency  to 
unusual  variation,  although  in  another  direction,  has  been  noticed 
in  the  same  species  from  a Post-glacial  deposit  near  Niles  in 
this  State  (Nautilus  XI,  p.  121).  In  both  instances,  however,  the 
variation  was  not  common  to  the  whole  colony,  but  was  limited 
to  a very  few  individuals.  It  cannot  therefore  be  attributed  to 
any  peculiar  conditions  in  the  environment  for  in  that  case  it  would 
undoubtedly  be  more  general  in  effect. 

Yours  very  truly, 

(Signed)  BRYANT  WALKER. 

N.  B. — Please  don’t  forget  to  give  Dr.  V.  Sterki  the  credit  for 
identifying  the  Pupidce  and  Pisidia. 

NOTES. 

Numbers  refer  to  numerals  in  table. 

1.  Fragment  or  fragments  only. 

2.  Young  shells,  just  hatched,  undoubtedly  recent. 

3.  Apparently  recent. 

4.  Fragment,  possibly  8.  avara  Say. 

5.  Peculiar  form. 

6.  Peculiar  form,  probably  L.  Tiumilis  Say. 

7.  Peculiar  form. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL.  99 

8.  Young. 

9.  Undoubtedly  recent. 

10.  One  left  valve  with  teeth  wholly  reserved,  one  right  valve 
with  anterior  laterals  and  cardinals  reversed. 

11.  One  valve  with  posterior  laterals  reversed. 

12.  Two  samples  with  the  apertural  portion  of  the  last  whorl 
separated  from  the  body  whorl.  One  example  with  the  superior 
and  peripheral  caringe  present,  the  umbilical  carina  wanting,  its 
position  however  is  represented  by  a slight  angulation  of  the  whorl. 
This  remarkable  variety  has  never  been  seen  before  among  hun- 
dreds of  examples  examined.  So  far  as  I know  there  is  no  previous 
record  of  its  occurrence.  Should  other  examples  be  found  it  would 
be  entitled  to  rank  with  the  varieties  already  described.  But  as 
only  single  specimens  from  two  different  localities  have  been 
noticed  it  may  be  only  an  individual  variation  or  “sport.” 

13.  One  example  with  the  superior  and  peripheral  caringe  pres- 
ent, basal  one  obsolete.  See  Note  12. 

14.  Deformed. 

LOCALITIES. 

1.  Shell-bearing  deposits  in  digging  a well  about  100  feet  north- 

east of  Sec.  36—13—5  E.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  1. 

2.  Marl  from  A.  F.  Gorton.  Lake  near  Howell.  A.  C.  Lane, 

Coll.  No.  2. 

3.  E.  i S.  E.  i Sec.  3—11  N.— 5 E.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  3. 

4.  Cascade  near  Grand  Rapids.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  4. 

5.  Cedar  Springs.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  5. 

6.  Sec.  22,  T.  10  N.,  R.  11  W.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  9. 

7.  T.  11  N.,  R.  11  W.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  10. 

8.  Pickerel  Lake,  Newaygo  County.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  11. 

9.  Indian  Lake.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  12. 

10.  Fremont  Lake  (12  N.,  14  W.),  Newaygo  County,  150  to  200 

feet  above  lake.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  14. 

11.  Cut  between  Sec.  24  and  25,  Spaulding  Township,  Saginaw 

County.  A.  C.  Lane,  Coll.  No.  15. 

This  is  a sand  deposit  of  Lake  Algonquin? 

12.  Marsh  north  side  of  Cedar  Lake,  Cedar  Lake  Station,  Mont- 

calm County.  Lane  and  Davis,  Coll. 


100 


MARL. 


13.  Dry  marl  bed  mile  east  of  Cedar  Lake  Station,  Montcalm 

County.  Lane  and  Davis,  Coll. 

14.  Marsh  on  east  side  of  Mud  Lake,  N.  W.  \ S.  W.  J,  Sec.  3, 

T.  12  N.,  R.  4 W.  Lane  and  Davis,  Coll. 

15.  From  bank  of  ditch,  N.  W.  J S.  W.  i,  Sec.  3,  T.  12  N.,  R.  4 W. 

Gratiot  County.  Lane  and  Davis,  Coll. 

16.  Bottom  of  ditch  from  Mud  Lake.  N.  W.  J S.  W.  J,  sand  sec- 

tion, Gratiot  County,  “possibly  washed  from  marl.”  Lane 
and  Davis,  Coll. 

17.  Goose  Lake.  Cement  City.  J.  G.  Dean. 

This  is  the  marl  of  the  Peninsular  P.  C.  Co. 


LIST  OF  SPECIES. 


CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MARL 


101 


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LIST  OF  SPECIES-Continued. 


102 


MAliL 


x Present. 

x ’Identification  doubtful. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 

§ 1.  Lansing — Summer,  1899. 

Before  starting  on  a longer  tour  of  inspection  a short  trip  was 
made  from  St.  Joseph  through  White  Pigeon,  Bronson,  Coldwater, 
Quincy,  and  several  other  towns  near  which  marl  had  been  re- 
ported. The  surroundings  of  the  marl,  its  location  and  manufac- 
ture and  any  other  points  needing  investigation  were  to  be  noted. 

White  Pigeon. — The  first  bed  visited  was  that  of  Mr.  Theodore  E. 
Clapp  on  Section  17,  St.  Joseph  County,  two  miles  southeast  from 
White  Tigeon,  and  one  and  a quarter  miles  from  the  Lake  Shore 
& Michigan  Southern  railroad.  The  following  are  his  figures  on 
the  bed.  The  depth  is  from  six  to  thirty  feet  with  average  depth 
twenty  feet,  area  100  acres.  The  marl  at  the  center  of  the  lake 
is  about  twenty-two  feet  deep,  at  the  edges  thirty  feet  deep,  water 
in  shallows  two  to  four  feet  in  depth.  The  marsh  land  about  the 
lake  is  underlain  with  the  deepest  marl,  and  this  greatest  depth 
is  between  the  lobes  of  the  lake.  The  marl  is  not  overgrown  suffi- 
ciently with  marsh  grass  for  cattle  to  graze  upon  it  safely.  For 
sounding,  the  deposit  he  used  two  inch  drive  well  pipe  cut  into  six 
foot  lengths,  and  fitted  with  couplings  so.  that  they  could  form  a 
continuous  rod.  Upon  one  length  an  augur  was  welded.  This 
was  the  apparatus  used  to  bring  up  the  specimens.  Mr.  Clapp 
made  fifteen  soundings,  requiring  a force  of  five  men. 

Tests  were  carried  on  during  the  winter  through  ice.  The  analy- 
sis of  the  marl  made  at  Purdue  University  was  as  follows: 


Moisture  81$ 

Insoluble  in  Hydrochloric  acid 1.46$ 

Silica 37$ 

Iron  and  Alumina 56$ 

Calcium  oxide  51.00$ 

Magnesium  oxide  1.02$ 

Potash  17$ 

Soda  52$ 

Carbonic  Acid  41.10$ 

Organic  matter  combined  with  water 4.01$. 

Sulphuric  acid  trace. 

Phosphoric  acid trace. 


101.02 


104 


MAUL. 


Tlie  above  analysis  would  indicate  a first  class  marl.  The  marl 
between  the  lobes  of  the  lake,  which  was  before  remarked  as  deep- 
est, in  this  instance  probably  marked  the  center  of  the  lake.  Ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Clapp's  soundings  the  deepest  water  did  not  contain 
the  deepest  marl,  but  rather  the  shallows  at  the  edge  of  the  lake 
toward  the  center  of  the  whole  lake  basin.  The  lake  basin  would 
be  the  whole  depression  including  the  two  lobes  of  the  lake,  and 
the  low  marsh  surrounding  it. 

Bronson , Quincy,  Coldwater. 

After  leaving  this  lake  the  old  glacial  valley  or  chain  of  marl 
lakes  extending  irregularly  through  Bronson,  Quincy,  and  Cold- 
water  was  examined.  It  was  near  Bronson,  while  sinking  piles 
for  a bridge  over  a creek  that  a section  foreman  discovered  a 
marl  bed.  The  whitish  or  greyish  soft  mud  which  he  found  there, 
proved  upon  analysis  to  be  a marl  suitable  for  cement.  A thriving 
factory  was  started  upon  this  same  land,  also  one  at  Union  City 
some  fourteen  miles  distant.  One  is  built  at  Coldwater  and  another 
completed  at  Quincy,  these  two  belonging  to  the  Michigan  Port- 
land Cement  Co.  This  constituted  the  district  which  was  at  the 
time  (1899)  actively  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  marl,  although 
factories  were  in  the  process  of  building  in  many  parts  of  the  State. 

The  bed  and  factory  at  Bronson  were  first  examined.  The  factory 
itself  is  located  on  a sandy  island  a few  acres  in  extent.  These 
islands  are  sprinkled  through  the  marl  bed,  and  upon  some  of 
them  good  sized  trees  are  growing.  The  deposit  is  one  of  the  old 
lake  valleys  above  mentioned.  In  reply  to  questions  asked  Mr. 
Wheeler,  the  chemist  of  the  factory,  the  following  facts  were  given. 
The  area  of  marl  is  estimated  at  1,300  acres.  It  follows  the  bed  of 
Swan  Creek,  and  two  or  three  other  streams  from  Spring  Lake. 
The  depth  varies  from  one  to  fifty  feet  according  to  measurements 
made  with  solid  iron  rods.  Beneath  the  marl  there  is  a white 
quartz  sand,  the  outline  of  which  is  regularly  undulating,  which 
Mr.  Wheeler  accounts  for  by  the  former  action  of  waves.  The 
marl  is  about  thirty  to  forty  per  cent  water.  The  lake  basin  is 
in  the  form  of  an  oblong  one  mile  wide  and  several  miles  long. 

The  factory  contains  seven  rotaries  and  six  tanks  with  an  output 
of  1,000  barrels  per  day.  The  occurrence  of  marl  under  one  part 
of  the  marsh  does  not  signify  that  it  will  be  found  under  the  whole 
marsh.  The  bed  is  thickest  at  the  center.  It  contains  no  bog  iron  ore, 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 


Vol.  VIII  Part  III  Plate  III. 


COLD  WATER  PLANT  OF  WOLVERTON  P.  C.  CO. 


UNION  CITY  PLANT  OF  PEERLESS  P.  C.  CO. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE.  > 


105 


and  few  shells.  The  well  water  in  the  vicinity  is  rather  soft.  Ilis 
analysis  of  the  marl  is  as  follows: 


Volatile  matter  45.64$ 

Insoluble  matter 1.72$ 

Iron  and  aluminum  oxides 1.17$ 

Calcium  oxide  49.21$ 

Organic  matter  7.07$ 


104.81 

Further  analyses  and  descriptive  notes  will  be  found  in  the  last 
chapter. 

The  marl  is  dug  by  an  ordinary  dipper  dredge  which  scoops 
out  the  marl  to  a depth  of  twenty-two  feet  and  empties  it  into  small 
cars  in  which  it  is  hauled  to  the  factory.  The  dredge  first  removes 
the  surface  from  one  to  six  feet  of  tough  marsh  grass,  roots,  etc., 
and  piles  it  up  at  one  side  or  dumps  it  in  place  where  the  marl  has 
already  been  removed.  As  the  water  stands  at  within  from  one 
to  two  feet  of  the  surface,  after  a small  channel  is  cleared  the 
dredge  has  water  room  to  float  over  the  marl  which  is  to  be  re- 
moved. The  marl  when  first  dug  is  much  darker  on  account  of 
being  nearly  half  moisture,  but  after  drying,  it  becomes  about  the 
color  of  light  wood  ashes.  The  next  point  of  interest  visited  was 
the  clay  pit  from  w7hich  the  supply  of  clay  for  this  factory  is  de- 
rived. The  pit  is  on  a siding  about  two  miles  south  of  the  factory. 
It  is  in  this  vicinity  that  the  great  stratum  of  Coldwater  shales  is 
uncovered.  In  this  case  the  shale  does  not  quite  reach  the  surface, 
and  a shaft  seventy-five  feet  deep  has  been  sunk  to  penetrate  the 
surface  soil,  and  from  the  vertical  shaft  a tunnel  with  several  smal- 
ler branches  has  been  dug  through  the  solid  shale.  A regular  min- 
ing hoist  is  used  to  reach  shale  and  hoist  it  to  the  surface.  Clay  is 
transferred  from  the  head  of  the  tunnel  to  the  shaft  by  small  cars 
run  on  a wooden  track.  The  clay,  which  is  a shale  compressed 
until  it  shows  lines  of  cleavage,  is  hard  like  a rock  and  is  blasted 
by  giant  powder  as  coal  is  mined.* 

The  next  point  visited  was  Coldwater.  Between  Bronson  and 
this  city  the  land  is  rolling  and  very  stony.  It  does  not  present 
the  sudden  contrast  in  outlines  which  characterizes  the  marl 
regions  further  north. 

The  Coldwater  mill  is  located  near  several  small  lakes.  The 
manager  of  the  works  who  was  present  during  the  prospecting 

*For  analysis  see  Part  I,  p.  41  (Clays  and  Shales  by  H.  Ries). 

14  Pt.  Ill 


106 


MARL. 


could  not  see  that  there  was  any  regularity  in  the  depth  of  marl. 
It  showed  no  greater  thickness  in  the  center.  The  soundings  were 
a succession  of  sudden  changes  in  depth.  Compare  the  soundings 
at  the  lower  end  of  Long  Lake  in  the  Cloverdale  region.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  these  lakes  were  lined  with  clear  marl  at  the 
bottom  as  at  Cloyerdale  and  not  a completely  leveled  marsh  filled 
in  with  vegetation  as  at  Bronson.  It  is  well  to  notice  how  the  dif- 
ferent lakes  compare  with  swamps  in  increase  of  depth  toward 
the  center  of  the  marl  deposit.  The  marl  lands  at  this  point  avail- 
able for  cement  manufacture  were  said  to  aggregate  two  thousand 
acres.  The  beds  in  this  chain  of  lakes  are  to  be  worked  by  two 
fourteen-rotary  mills,  one  at  Coldwater,  and  the  other  at  Quincy. 

The  clay  used  at  Coldwater  differed  somewhat  in  appearance 
from  that  used  at  Bronson.  It  is  a surface  clay  mixed  blue  and 
grey  in  color.  Its  advantage  lies  in  its  easy  access  and  cheap 
grinding. 

Janesville. 

At  Jonesville,  Mr.  Chase  Wade  "was  interviewed.  A factory 
was  completed  at  this  point.  The  bed  to  be  utilized  has  an  area 
of  from  seventy-five  to  eighty  acres  with  an  average  depth  of 
twenty-five  feet.  The  analysis  showed  from  ninety-three  to  ninety- 
five  per  cent  of  calcium  carbonate.* 

Kalamazoo. 

The  return  trip  from  Lansing  to  St.  Joseph  was  made  by  way 
of  Hastings  and  Kalamazoo.  At  the  town  of  Cloverdale  the 
Chicago,  Kalamazoo  & Saginaw  railroad  passes  through  a cluster 
of  lakes,  and  on  account  of  the  promising  outlook  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  make  a thorough  investigation  later,  the  result  of 
which  is  given  in  the  description  of  the  Cloverdale  district. 

Kalamazoo  was  next  visited,  and  the  site  of  the  former  cement 
plant  was  examined.  A chain  of  three  small  lakes  form  a deep  val- 
ley with  a rate  of  fall  so  great  that  a small  water  flume  bringing 
water  about  a half  a mile  from  the  creek  at  the  headwaters  of  the 
lake  furnished  ample  water  power  for  a large  mill.  The  lower  of 
the  three  lakes  was  nearly  dry  and  the  marl  exposed  was  very  light 
colored  with  many  shells.  In  this  lake  there  was  little  or  no  sur- 
face muck.  In  the  upper,  however,  the  depth  of  marsh  surface  was 

*See  report  by  W.  M.  Gregory,  upton  the  plant  of  the  Omega  P.  C.  Co. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


107 


so  great  as  to  render  tlie  marl  scarcely  available  for  manufacturing 
purposes.  One  of  the  first  factories  started  in  the  State  was  built 
on  this  marl  bed,  but  with  the  old  kiln  process  and  with  the  expen- 
sive method  of  handling  raw  materials,  it  did  not  pay.* 

The  next  marl  bed  reported  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Niles.  It  was 
five  and  a half  miles  east  of  the  town,  and  covered  about  forty 
acres.  Deep  wells  in  the  vicinity  were  said  to  have  very  hard 
water,  and  the  hills  surrounding  terminated  abruptly  at  the  edge 
of  the  marsh  and  were  of  gravel. 

§ 2.  Cloverdale. 

The  peculiar  formation  of  the  region  about  Cloverdale  makes 
a very  interesting  locality  for  the  study  of  the  formation  and  oc- 
currence of  marls.  By  consulting  a map  of  Michigan  it  is  seen  that 
the  townships  of  Hope,  Barry,  and  Prairieville  of  Barry  County  con- 
tain an  unusually  large  number  of  inland  waterways  and  lakes. 
(Fig.  3.)  The  country  is  a network  of  deep  depressions  forming 
dry  channels,  gullies,  water  courses  and  lake  beds.  Between  chan- 
nels are  high  gravel  and  clay  hills.  The  soil  is  very  heavy  but 
forms  a greatly  varying  mixture.  At  one  place  it  may  be  a tough 
till  of  clay,  gravel  and  boulders  which  may  be  traced  a short  dis- 
tance and  then  may  be  replaced  by  fine  sand,  clay  or  gravel.  A 
cross  section  of  the  land  as  seen  in  cuts  in  side  hills,  washouts  or 
wells  shows  as  much  if  not  more  variation.  The  bottoms  of  gullies 
and  kettles  left  by  the  receding  water  generally  have  a blue,  black 
or  red  clay  bottom  hidden  by  a few  inches  to  as  many  feet  of  loam 
or  sand.  • These  dense  clays  formed  the  bottoms  of  numerous 
lakes  and  channels,  many  of  which  have  dried  out  with  the  fall 
of  water  level,  but  the  largest  and  deepest  of  which  form  the 
present  lakes  of  the  township  above  mentioned.  Within  a radius 
of  three  or  four  miles  of  Cloverdale,  Hope  Township,  on  the  C.  K. 
& S.  there  are  five  lakes  and  several  other  holes  not  entirely  dry, 
a fair  sample  of  the  latter  class  being  “Twenty-one  Lake”  west 
of  Cloverdale.  The  five  lakes  examined,  all  of  which  contained 
marl,  were  Long,  Round,  Balker  or  Horseshoe,  Guernsey  and  Pine. 

The  purpose  of  the  investigation  was  to  study  the  mode  of  forma- 
tion, extent  and  quality  of  the  marls  and  clay  in  and  about  the 
lakes,  so  as  to  ascertain  if  possible  their  origin  and  their  adapta- 
bility to  cement  manufacture.  As  the  marl  is  supposed  to  originate 

*The  quality  was  very  good,  as  is  shown  in  many  places  in  Kalamazoo,  where 
20  years  has  made  little  impression  on  the  cement.  L. 


108 


MABL. 


in  one  of  several  possible  ways  from  the  salts  contained  in  under- 
ground waters,  the  relative  hardness  of  spring  and  well  waters 
surrounding  the  lake  to  the  hardness  of  the  surface  of  the  lake  and 
its  deep  water  together  with  its  outlet,  was  determined.  This 
required  the  collection  of  samples  of  water  in  small  fruit  jars, 
which  after  filling  were  shipped  to  the  Michigan  Agricultural  Col- 
lege for  analyses.  On  page  46  will  be  found  a table  and  key  to 
analyses  with  a brief  enumeration  of  results  obtained.  The  sur- 
roundings of  the  beds  themselves,  the  nature  of  the  soil,  and  gen- 
eral impressions  as  to  the  formation  of  the  whole  lake  may  throw 
light  upon  the  changes  which  may  have  brought  about  these  curious 
deposits.  These  were  therefore  noted  where  possible  and  the  con- 
clusions drawn  from  these  facts  have  been  noted  in  Chapter  IV. 

To  determine  depth  and  outline  of  marl  beds  and  to  obtain 
samples  at  any  depth  the  following  apparatus  was  made.  It  con- 
sisted of  fifty-four  feet  of  inch  pipe  (three  18-feet  lengths  each  cut 
in  tw'o  making  six  pieces  each  nine  feet  long).  Each  piece  wTas 
threaded  on  both  ends  and  when  a coupling  had  been  screwed  upon 
one  end  of  each  pipe  the  whole  could  be  united  into  a continuous 
tube  fifty-four  feet  long. 

Fifty-four  feet  of  one-half  inch  pipe  wras  cut,  threaded  and 
coupled  as  above  except  that  the  couplings  were  turned  down 
slightly  in  a lathe  so  that  when  coupled  with  the  half  inch  pipe, 
they  would  allow  it  to  pass  freely  within  the  inch  pipe.  Two 
shorter  pieces  (each  four  feet)  of  one-half  inch  pipe  were  provided, 
threaded  as  the  others,  but  each  shod  to  suit  solidity  of  the  material 
to  be  penetrated.  The  lake  bottoms  investigated  in  this  region 
varied  from  a fine  almost  impalpable  mud  suspended  in  very  deep 
water  to  very  sandy  or  very  dense  clay  carbonate.  The  very  sandy 
and  very  muddy  bottom  would  be  washed  off  the  worm  of  an 
ordinary  augur.  To  obviate  this  difficulty  and  to  preserve  the 
specimens  while  being  hauled  to  the  surface,  one  of  the  short  pipes 
was  shod  with  a device  which  is  somewhat  of  a miniature  of  a 
well  driver’s  sand  pump.  It  consists  of  a cylinder  of  iron  just  the 
diameter  of  a half  inch  coupling  hollowed  out  and  chisel  pointed. 
Upon  one  side  of  the  chisel  surface  a hole  is  drilled  up  the  center 
to  the  hollow,  which  hollow  is  the  exact  size  of  the  inside  diameter 
of  the  one-half  inch  pipe.  The  hole  is  stopped  on  the  inside  by  a 
ball  valve,  the  ball  being  retained  within  the  cylinder  by  a wire 
passing  through  the  cylinder  at  right  angles  to  its  length  three- 


IiECOBD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


109 


eights  of  an  inch  from  the  bottom  of  the  hollow.  A thread  is  cut 
on  the  inside  of  the  upper  end  of  the  cylinder  making  the  end 
with  threading  just  the  size  of  a half  inch  pipe  when  threaded.  It 
must,  therefore,  screw  inside  a coupling  which  joins  it  to  the  short 
piece  of  the  pipe.  When  chugged  down  the  valve  allows  the  soft 
mud  to  spurt  up  into  the  cavity  but  when  lifted  the  ball  drops 
down  into  the  hole  drilled  through  the  bottom,  stopping  the 
egress  of  the  contents  through  the  hole  by  which  it  entered.  At 
each  fresh  downward  thrust  of  the  chisel  the  content  of  the  cylinder 
increases,  rising  in  the  hollow  half  inch  cylinder  to  the  top  where 
elbow  or  one-way  coupling  may  be  screwed  on  to  direct  the  outflow 
which  may  be  received  for  examination. 

The  other  short  pipe  was  shod  with  an  augur,  the  worm  of 
which  was  similar  to  a ship  augur,  but  the  stock  of  which  was 
hollow  so  as  to  allow  whatever  ascended  through  the  worm  to  pass 
up  into  the  half  inch  pipe  as  in  the  previous  case.  Wlien  the  marl 
was  somewhat  solid  as  was  the  case  when  the  chisel  was  used,  an 
iron  poker  one-fourth  inch  in  diameter  was  used  to  shove  the  speci- 
mens out  of  the  pipes.  These  are  the  only  means  so  far  seen  which 
serve  to  bring  to  the  surface  a correct  specimen  of  lake  bottom 
from  any  depth.  Specimens  of  lake  marl  were  brought  to  the  sur- 
face from  beneath  several  feet  of  mud  and  fifty  feet  of  water.  The 
outer  pipe  serves  solely  as  a protection  and  support  to  the  inner 
pipe  which  is  liable  to  break  loose  from  the  couplings  when  forced 
to  great  depths.  This  outfit  while  absolutely  necessary  for  scientific 
research  was  not  used  by  me  in  later  soundings.  Where  the  marl 
becomes  nearly  as  dense  as  a limestone,  as  in  the  several  instances 
in  the  Northern  Peninsula,  the  chisel  of  the  sand  pump  with  a 
double  tube,  the  outer  being  shoved  down  as  the  inner  cuts  its  way 
through,  is  the  best  outfit  that  can  be  used.  But  as  the  marl  in 
two-thirds  of  the  cases  seen  lies  on  top  about  like  “butter  in  sum- 
mer,” and  at  the  bottom  like  “butter  in  winter,”  an  ordinary 
inch  augur  welded  on  to  inch  pipe  will  retain  the  marl  and  stand 
the  strain  necessary  for  numberless  soundings.  If  one  man  is 
sounding  alone  he  may  use  f inch  or  J inch  pipe,  but  is  liable  to 
bury  the  lower  half  of  his  rod  out  of  reach  in  some  marl  bed. 

With  the  outfit  first  described,  which  was  fitted  up  in  half  a day 
at  a machine  shop  in  Kalamazoo,  five  lakes  were  examined  in  five 
days  with  a crew  of  four  section  men.  A raft  was  made  by  slightly 
fastening  two  boats  together  with  a framework  of  boards,  the  two 


110 


MARL. 


heaviest  boards  lying  parallel  to  each  other  across  the  boat  amid- 
ship.  These  furnished  a footing  and  prevented  the  tip  of  the  boats 
from  pressure  of  lifting  on  their  inner  gunwhales. 

Four  men  rigged  a boat  raft  from  a pair  of  boats  and  old  lumber 
in  about  half  an  hour.  They  then  rowed  to  any  desired  position, 
anchored  at  bow  and  stern  and  made  soundings.  Specimens  were 
generally  taken  from  bottom  and  surface  of  the  marl  bed  at  the 
same  spot.  Boats  and  men  were  then  taken  to  the  next  lake  by 
team,  about  a day’s  work  being  expended  on  each  lake. 

The  first  lake  examined  was  Long  Lake  (Fig.  3,  p.  14) . It  is  about 
three  and  one-half  miles  long  and  very  narrow,  being  nearly  cut  in 
two  by  Ackers  Point.  The  C.  K.  & S.  R.  R.  runs  parallel  to  it  and 
bounds  it  nearly  the  whole  length  on  the  southeast  side.  The  town 
of  Cloverdale  lies  nearly  all  south  of  the  railroad  and  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  lake. 

The  surroundings  of  the  lake  are  worthy  of  notice  as  perhaps 
having  a remote  bearing  upon  the  origin  of  the  lake  and  its  con- 
tents. The  southwest  or  upper  end  of  the  lake  is  bounded  by  an 
abrupt  hill  or  bluff  about  seventy-five  feet  high,  consisting  of  a 
dense  till  or  mixture  of  tough  clay,  gravel,  and  boulders,  and 
crowned  by  hard  wood  timber.  This  hill  is  flanked  upon  the  south 
by  lower  land  than  on  the  north,  the  only  land  touching  the  lake 
being  a heavy  blue  clay,  which  has  flowing  beneath  it  several 
springs.  That  on  the  south  forms  a narrow  isthmus  between  Long 
Lake  and  Round  Lake  lying  to  the  southwest.  A canal  or  ditch 
had  at  one  time  been  dug  through  this  neck  of  land  to  a distance  of 
two  to  three  hundred  feet,  and  the  fall  of  water  from  Round  into 
Long  Lake  was  16  feet,  furnishing  water  to  drive  a mill.  The  sur- 
face of  the  neck  of  land,  beneath  which  is  clay  and  quicksand,  is 
sand.  The  banks  of  Long  Lake  are  flanked  on  the  northwest  and 
southeast  sides  by  high,  rolling,  gravelly  clay  hills,  whic'h  end 
abruptly  at  the  shore  and  through  which  several  cuts  have  been 
made  by  the  railroad. 

The  lake  rapidly  narrows  at  the  northeast,  and  to  its  outlet,  which 
is  a small  creek  flowing  through  a narrow  low  land  into  other  holes 
which  have  once  been  lakes  but  could  not  be  reached  in  any  way 
with  sounding  apparatus.  When  the  water  was  higher  the  whole 
must  have  looked  like  a large  river  without  low  lands,  with  little 
current,  and  abrupt  shores. 

The  first  sounding  was  made  in  the  narrow  channel  connecting 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


Ill 


the  two  halves  of  the  lake  at  Ackers  Point.  From  here  soundings 
wrere  made  at  short  intervals  circling  the  shore  to  the  right  and 
south  side  toward  the  outlet,  from  thence  returning  on  the  west 
side  to  place  of  beginning,  and  from  there  on  the  north  side  of  upper 
half  around  the  upper  end  past  Cloverdale,  and  back  on  south  side 
to  place  of  beginning. 

The  bottom  immediately  about  Ackers  Point  was  of  heavy  sand 
and  gravel  for  some  little  distance  out,  probably  having  been 
washed  down  from  the  point  over  the  bed.  The  first  sounding,  40 
feet  out  from  heavy  gravel  shallows,  showed  a depth  of  30  feet  of 
marl,  and  at  the  bottom  a fairly  solid  tamarack  log,  sample  of 
which  was  bored  and  torn  out,  being  brought  to  the  surface  by  the 
augur. 

See  pages  18  to  21  for  a list  of  soundings  taken,  showing  depth 
of  water,  depth  of  marl,  nature  of  bottom  and  analysis  number 
where  a sample  was  preserved  for  analysis.  This  number,  upon 
reference  to  the  accompanying  table  of  analysis,  will  give  the  chem- 
ical constituents  of  the  sample  as  far  as  determined. 

The  sounding  No.  1 at  Ackers  Point  was  one  of  the  deepest  made 
and  the  sample  taken  was  among  the  purest.  As  the  lake  widens 
from  the  narrows  the  shallows  spread  out  and  divide,  following 
the  north  and  south  shores.  The  shallows  extend  out  from  the 
lowlands  on  shore  perhaps  200  feet,  gradually  deepening,  when 
there  is  a sudden  jump  into  deep  water,  making  a shelf  much  like 
a sand  bar  in  a river,  but  not  to  be  expected  in  a lake.  Where  oppor- 
tunity offered,  soundings  were  made  on  the  edge  of  the  shelf  and  in 
the  deep  water  outside  to  determine  exactly  what  was  the  relation- 
ship of  depth  of  water,  marl,  bottom  and  true  bottom.  For  the 
sake  of  clearness  this  relationship  is  pictured  crudely  by  diagrams, 
wTiich  will  be  referred  to  by  numbers. 

Diagram  1,  Plate  I,  shows  the  shelf  as  found  by  soundings  Nos. 
8 and  10.  It  will  here  be  seen  that  the  fall  of  level  of  the  true  bot- 
tom is  more  gradual  than  that  of  the  marl  or  false  bottom  as  the 
layer  of  marl  decreases  10  feet.  It  is  not  well  to  form  an  opinion 
upon  this  one  relationship,  but  to  watch  if  it  holds  true  in  further 
comparisons.  It  is  also  noticeable  that  samples  3A  and  3B,  or  speci- 
mens taken  from  Nos.  8 and  9 on  the  shelf  show  more  sand  than  No. 
10  (4)  taken  off  in  deep  water.  This  comparison  was  made  about  half 
way  down  the  lower  lobe  of  the  lake.  The  shallows  finally  again 
covered  the  bottom  and  joined,  making  an  extensive  flat  which 


112 


MARL. 


continued  to  the  outlet.  At  the  head  of  this  flat,  and  about  the 
center  of  the  lake,  was  the  next  object  of  interest.  This  was  a 
rocky  islet  about  40  feet  long  and  10  feet  wide,  formerly  a cigar- 
shaped, stony  shallow  along  the  center  of  the  lake,  The  largest 
boulders  are  just  above  wTater.  All  are  covered  with  a thick,  very 
soft,  white  coating  of  lime,  which  is  fastened  to  glacial  pebbles, 
covering  them  all  much  like  a snow  storm,  i.  e.,  thickest  on  top  and 
scarcely  at  all  upon  the  under  side,  though  the  stone  may  be  free 
from  others  and  exposed  to  the  water.  The  white  coating  of  lime 
hardens  quickly  when  exposed  and  dried  in  air.  A cross  section 
shows  two  layers  of  granular  friable  lime,  between  which  is  a layer 
of  green  organic  matter  or  chlorophyl  revealing  the  presence  of  liv- 
ing organisms. 

Soundings  13  and  21  were  made  in  the  mid  channel,  13  to  the 
south  and  21  to  the  north  of  the  island,  showing  conditions  on 
each  side  of  it.  With  the  depth  of  water  the  depth  of  marl  is, 
respectively,  9 and  23  feet,  showing  that  the  north  channel  was 
originally  much  deeper,  the  marl  now  filling  both  and  making  them 
very  shallow. 

The  conditions  thus  shown  immediately  at  the  beginning  of  the 
large  shallows  at  the  foot  of  the  lake  are  interesting.  A rocky  islet 
just  reaches  the  surface  of  the  water.  From  this  islet  the  depth  of 
marl  increases  from  a coating  a fraction  of  an  inch  thick  to  23  feet 
thick  on  the  north,  9 feet  thick  on  the  south,  with  a shallow  channel 
4 feet  of  water.  Soundings  Nos.  12  to  14  show  the  conditions  in  a 
line  down  the  lake,  12  before  the  island  is  reached,  14  after  passing 
around  the  island  in  a line  toward  the  outlet.  These  soundings 
show  again  that  the  island  is  surrounded  in  two  other  directions 
by  12  and  33  feet  of  marl.  The  increase  is  not,  as  the  soundings 
would  indicate,  sudden,  but  gradual,  the  island  seeming  like  a 
bouldery  outcrop  of  the  bottom,  which  is  at  No.  12  heavy  gravel,  at 
the  island  bouldery,  and  at  No.  3 at  33  again  fine  lake  sand. 

Taken  as  a whole,  soundings  12-22,  inclusive,  show  somewhat  the 
shape  of  the  lake  bottom  under  the  shallows  to  the  foot  of  the 
lake  and  as  far  into  its  outlet  as  the  raft  could  be  propelled.  In  no 
case  is  the  water  over  6 feet  deep,  except  in  the  swimming  hole 
near  the  north  bank.  Soundings  14  and  17,  taken  in  nearly  a 
straight  line,  show  a deep  channel  which  narrows  and  runs  into  the 
shallow  outlet.  No.  16,  taken  to  the  north  and  left  of  these,  shows 
but  a trace  of  sandy  marl  with  a gravelly  bottom.  No.  16  is  more 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  DALE. 


113 


notable,  as  it  was  taken  from  the  foot  of  a hill  from  which  several 
springs  issue.  Prodding  50  feet  to  the  south  of  16  shows  about  the 
same  condition,  proving  that  the  bed  rapidly  narrows,  but  the  sud- 
den jump  downward  in  No.  17  shows  that  the  outlet  still  remains 
the  old  channel,  though  nearly  choked  up  with  marl,  with  no  surface 
muck.  Proddings  not  recorded  as  soundings  show  that  southwest 
of  sounding  16,  returning  to  Ackers  Point  along  the  north  side  of 
the  lake,  the  muck  and  gravel  from  steep  hills  encroach  upon  the 
bed.  The  sudden  contrast  in  the  nature  of  the  bottom  is  shown  by 
comparing  sample  6 of  table,  which  is  a muck  from  the  narrowest 
outlet,  with  Nos.  5 A and  5B,  fair  samples  of  marl  in  deep  or  old 
channel. 

Nos.  21  and  22  (Plate  I)  are  again  parallel  to  Nos.  8 and  10.  No. 
21,  the  same  referred  to  as  north  of  Rocky  Island,  was  taken  just  out- 
side the  swimming  hole.  Diagram  2 shows  the  relative  change  in 
depths  of  water,  marl  and  true  bottom.  Here  the  relation  in  fall  of 
marl  and  true  bottom  is  exactly  reversed  as  compared  with  Dia- 
gram 1.  The  marl  bottom  or  shelf  is  less  pronounced  than  the  orig- 
inal shelf  made  by  the  true  bottom  before  marl  was  deposited  be- 
cause the  marl  bottom  is  like  a thick  bottom  before  marl  was  depos- 
ited, is  like  a thick  blanket  taking  away  the  sharpness  of  the  edge 
and  by  its  own  increase  in  thickness  of  8 feet,  making  the  fall  less 
sudden  and  the  lake  bottom  more  nearly  level.  Still  the  increase  of 
water  from  4 to  16  feet  is  so  immediate  that  outline  of  the  white 
bottom  seems  to  sink  suddenly  out  of  sight.  The  original  bottom 
with  an  almost  immediate  fall  of  (47-23)  24  feet  must  once  have 
formed  a bold  precipitous  terrace  or  more  likely  in  this  case  a small 
deep  kettle.. 

By  the  above  soundings,  together  with  many  proddings  and 
examination  of  bottom  in  shallow  water  by  the  eye,  the  following 
general  idea  of  the  broad  shallows  at  the  foot  of  the  lake  and  merg- 
ing into  its  outlet  is  given:  The  bottom  of  the  deep  mid  lake  sud- 

denly rises  to  form  an  extensive  shallow.  It  even  shows  above 
the  water’s  surface  in  the  stony  islet,  but  slopes  down  on  either 
side  of  the  islet  to  form  deep  channels,  the  one  on  the  north  being 
deeper  (27  ft.),  the  one  on  the  south  13  feet.  The  bottom  is  some- 
what uneven  and  pebbly  where  it  is  shallow.  On  the  other  hand 
there  are  many  holes,  the  largest  of  which,  the  swimming  hole,  is 
47  feet  deep  below  water  with  the  bottom  surrounding  it  27  feet. 
Besides  holes  there  is  a deep  middle  channel  north  of  the  stony 
15-Pt.  Ill 


114 


MAUL. 


islet  and  running  into  the  outlet.  The  bottom  rises  on  each  side 
to  a pebbly  shore  covered  toward  the  outlet  with  muck  or  sandy 
marl  in  very  thin  layers. 

The  shore  on  the  north  side  has  the  steep  hiil's  and  springs  back 
of  it.  The  marl  lies  upon  this  original  bottom  covering  it,  nearly 
filling  up  the  old  channel  and  hiding  all  but  the  deepest  hole,  which 
it  helps  to  fill.  It,  however,  forms  but  a thin  incrustation  on  the 
rocky  islet,  but  in  the  channel  thickens  again  to  natural  depth.  It 
merges  into  sand  and  mucky  marl  (Analysis  No.  6)  toward  shore, 
but  shows  admixture  of  sand  even  in  the  deep  channel. 

Upon  continuing  up  the  lake  on  the  north  side,  leaving  the  broad 
shoal,  a layer  of  sand  is  found  between  Nos.  22  and  23.  But  the 
shoaling  marl  again  thickens  on  approaching  Ackers  Point  on  north 
side,  showing  no  unusual  features  excepting  that  it  can  be  easily 
seen  that  the  old  channel  past  Ackers  Point  has  been  filled  to  a 
depth  of  30  feet  with  marl  like  the  channel  described  leading  out 
of  the  lake,  and  also  that  the  marl  is  much  thicker  immediately 
in  the  narrows  and  about  the  point  than  along  the  shore  down 
the  lake. 

From  the  point  opposite  Cloverdale  the  lake  widens  with  a slight 
bend  reaching  out  to  the  north  toward  the  only  low  land.  No.  27 
was  taken  to  find  if  the  depth  were  any  greater  below  the  springs 
which  emerge  from  the  heavy  clay  lowland  at  the  north  corner  of 
the  lake,  but  no  great  difference  in  depth  between  that  and  many 
other  soundings  taken  in  the  absence  of  the  springs  could  be  noted. 
The  depth  and  quality  of  marl  here  are  just  the  opposite  to  sound- 
ing 16  at  the  foot  of  the  lake.  In  this  case  a fairly  deep  layer 
(25  ft.)  of  marl,  with  fine  sand  bottom,  was  found,  while  No.  16 
showed  2 feet  of  sandy  marl  with  gravel  bottom. 

At  the  foot  of  the  steep  till  bluff  before  referred  to  as  forming 
the  boundary  of  the  head  of  the  lake  there  was  a boxed  spring 
(Sample  1,  p.  46,  taken  here).  Below  this  spring  the  water  was 
shallow  and  appeared  to  be  a sand  bar,  but  upon  investigation  from 
boat  with  sounding  apparatus  the  marl  was  found  to  run  almost 
up  to  the  bluff  at  a good  depth,  but  the  sand  has  washed  over  it  to 
such  a depth  that  it  was  reached  with  difficujty  by  the  pipes.  In 
coming  down  the  northwest  shore,  which  was  described  as  mostly 
sand  in  places,  where  marl  was  struck,  it  was  found  that  the  marl 
was  interlayed  with  sand,  the  augur  first  sinking  through  soft  marl, 
then  grinding  in  sand.  This  would  seem  to  point  toward  a washing 


BE  COED  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


115 


action  of  the  sand  over  the  marl  during  the  period  of  deposit  of 
the  marl.  Nos.  28  and  29  (Diagram  3,  Fig.  4)  were  another  parallel 
set  (Plate  I),  showing  the  position  of  the  marl  overlying  the  shelf, 
being  made  close  to  shore  under  the  bluff  and  in  shoal  water.  The 
soundings  were  taken  as  closely  as  possible  to  each  other  and  the 
changes  in  depth  are  very  sudden.  The  marl  layer  again  tends  to 
break  the  abruptness  of  the  descent  of  the  true  bottom.  The  differ- 
ence in  depth  of  water  on  and  off  the  shelf  being  greatest  before  the 
deposit  of  marl,  for  before  deposit  the  shelf  was  24  feet  high,  after 
deposit  15.* 

Another  test  opposite  Beechwood  Point,  a short  distance  below 
Cloverdale,  showed  the  gradual  increase  in  depth  of  marl,  from 
deep  shoal  water  in  as  far  as  possible  toward  Beechwood  Point,  at 


]ce Jour)dL*.t(  46  oft. 
Gre  i tafeff  Oe///L  ''fT- 


soundings  28,  29,  31,  32,  Long  Lake. 


right  angles  to  the  length  of  the  lake.  In  50  feet  the  increase  of 
depth  of  marl  is  5 feet  to  an  increase  in  depth  of  water  of  1 foot 
(see  Fig.  4,  Soundings  31  and  32). 

The  general  idea  of  the  lake  as  given  by  the  foregoing  examina- 
tion is  that  of  a very  long,  narrow  body  of  water.  It  consists  of 
two  quite  distinct  parts,  the  deep  water  and  the  surrounding  exten- 
sive terrace  or  bar.  Over  the  whole  the  marl  lies  as  a thick  and 
more  or  less  even  deposit  which  thins  toward  the  shore  edges 
wThere  it  is  pretty  thoroughly  mixed  with  sand,  clay  or  muck.  The 
sudden  changes  in  thickness  of  the  marl  layer  seem  due  in  greater 
part  to  the  inequalities  in  the  bottom,  which  is  full  of  jogs,  chan- 
nels and  holes.  In  all  cases  excepting  Diagram  I,  the  marl  in  cover- 

*(45-21)  instead  of  (18-3),  see  Fig.  4. 


116 


MAUL. 


ing  the  terrace  or  shelf  made  by  the  bottom  always  lessens  its  very 
abrupt  descent,  being  thicker  just  outside  the  shelf  in  deep  water 
than  in  the  shoal  water  upon  the  shelf.  In  this  lake  variation  in 
the  composition  of  the  marl  is  very  marked.  In  close  proximity 
to  the  shore  the  marl  is  quite  thoroughly  mixed  with  sand.  This 
condition  extends  out  one  or  two  hundred  feet,  as  in  samples  from 
Sounding  8.  Other  instances  before  alluded  to  show7  the  marl  to 
be  layered  with  sand  and  next  to  the  very  steep  hill  at  the  south- 
west end  the  sand  has  washed  completely  over,  hiding  the  marl. 

In  this  lake  the  marl  layer  seems  to  lie  heaviest  on  the  south 
side  of  the  lake.  It  covers  the  whole  lake  bed,  including  the  bottom 
45  feet  deep  at  the  center,  but  lies  heaviest  over  the  terrace  on  the 
south  side  and  has  choked  and  completely  filled  holes  and  channels 
as  deep  as  the  mid  lake  47  feet  (Diag.  2,  Plate  I).  Compare  with 
sounding  10  mid  lake,  also  No.  14  deep  channel.  A comparison  of 
their  soundings  shows  the  former  capacity  of  the  lake.  On  account 
of  the  repeated  admixtures  of  sand  and  muck  the  duplicate  analyses 
furnish  little  data  for  consideration  of  difference  in  depth  excepting 
in  the  deepest  sounding,  as  1A  and  B,  2A  and  B,  3A  and  B.  These, 
the  most  nearly  pure  samples  taken  show,  if  anything,  an  increase 
of  organic  matter  with  increase  of  depth.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
within  a short  distance  of  the  bottom  sand  has  worked  up  into  the 
bed  so  that  a sample,  though  taken  with  the  greatest  care,  will 
show  high  in  sand  when  taken  within  tw7o  or  three  feet  of  the  true 
bottom.  Here  as  in  nearly  all  soundings  taken  during  my  experi- 
ence the  deeper  soundings  and  the  surface  samples  differ  con- 
siderably in  appearance,  the  deeper  being  fine  grained,  compact  and 
of  a steel-blue  tinge,  which  w ith  a high  per  cent  of  organic  matter, 
becomes  darker.*  The  surface  samples  Avere  generally  wdiiter,  more 
flaky  in  appearance  and  lighter.  No.  4 (Sounding  10)  is  of  in- 
terest on  account  of  its  position  45  feet  beloAv  the  surface  in  Mud 
Lake.  Like  the  other  deep  soundings  it  is  high  in  “organic  matter” 
and  matter  insoluble  in  HC1,  No.  6 is  a fair  example  of  the  mucky 
marl  of  the  lake,  little  of  wThich  was  found  and  that  at  the  narrow  ed 
outlet.  Notice  the  increase  in  organic  matter  and  insolubles  which 
far  exceeds  all  but  3B,  w7hich  was  mostly  sand.  With  this  increase 
of  organic  matter  there  is  an  increase  of  iron  and  aluminum  as  there 


*See  pp.  16  and  18. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


117 


is  also  in  No.  4,  the  mid  lake  sounding.  This  is  natural,  as  organic 
matter  is  supposed  to  aid  in  the  deposit  of  iron. 

All  in  all,  sand  and  organic  matter  have  penetrated  this  bed  from 
beneath  and  from  the  edges.  Only  in  mid  lake  in  the  thickest  part 
of  the  deposit  for  some  distance  from  the  surface  down  is  the  marl 
free  from  foreign  matter.  The  bold  shores  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  sand  is  found  constantly  washed  over  and  against  the 
beds  are  perhaps  good  explanations  of  this  condition. 

Organic  matter  as  a constituent  of  the  marl  is  found  in  largest 
percentages  in  the  bottom  of  the  deepest  parts  of  the  lake. 

Mud  or  Round  Lake,  as  before  described,  lies  southwest  of  Long 
Lake,  the  two  being  separated  by  the  high  clay  and  gravel  hill. 
This  lake  continues  southwest,  paralleling  the  railroad  for  a short 
distance,  then  winding  to  the  north.  The  lobe  at  Cloverdale  and 
nearest  Long  Lake  was  examined  for  marl.  The  water  of  its  out- 
let could  not  be  sampled  as  it  was  at  the  other  end  of  the  lake,  its 
waters  emptying  in  a nearly  opposite  direction  from  those  of  Long 
Lake,  the  hill  forming  a divide.  The  hardness  of  the  water  as  com- 
pared with  Long  Lake,  was  as  1 to  16,  being  nearly  as  soft  as  rain 
water.  The  bottom  was  heavy  gravel  or  muck  with  finer  sand.  Of 
all  the  soundings  made  but  one  revealed  the  presence  of  marl.  This 
marl  of  poor  quality  was  found  38  feet  below  surface  beneath 
several  feet  of  silt  and  by  the  deepest  sounding  made  in  the  lake. 

Standing  at  the  divide  between  the  lakes  the  general  contour  of 
the  bluffs  or  shores  of  the  two  lakes  would  show  Mud  Lake  to  be 
much  higher,  about  15  feet  according  to  the  fall  of  water  at  the  mill. 
The  hills  about  it  are  not  as  bold  and  upon  the  whole  its  waters  do 
not  so  deeply  indent  the  surface  of  the  country.  The  springs  which 
do  not  flow  from  the  hills  slip  out  at  the  shore  line,  are  softer  and 
probably  are  not  from  as  low  a level  as  those  of  Long  Lake,  being 
mostly  surface  drainage. 

The  wells  in  Cloverdale  and  those  near  the  two  lakes  and  on  the 
divide  were  tested.  The  deep  drive  wells  of  Cloverdale  were  of  the 
hardest  water  found.  The  deeper  one  on  the  divide  was  hard,  the 
surface  one  soft.  . 

As  the  people’s  idea  of  hardness  and  softness  of  waters  in  a given 
vicinity  are  very  conflicting  some  method  was  sought  to  obtain  a 
definite  comparison  of  waters  upon  the  field. 

A standardized  soap  solution  was  made  in  the  laboratory  by 
titrating  a known  volume  against  a known  weight  of  crystalized 


118 


MARL. 


CaC03  or  marble,  so  that  every  cubic  centimeter  of  the  solution 
needed  to  make  a suds  with  50  cc.  of  water,  would  imply  one  degree 
of  hardness,- — one  grain  per  U.  S.  gallon  of  calcium  carbonate  or  its 
equivalent. 

The  soap  solution  was  carried  in  the  field  and  measured  against 
50  cc.  of  spring  or  well  water  tested.  The  figures  below,  opposite 
the  well  or  spring  located,  are  the  number  of  cc.  of  the  solution  re- 
quired to  neutralize  50  cc.  of  the  water  and  form  a comparative  test 
of  the  hardness  of  the  water  in  question: 


1.  Well,  Hotel  at  Cloverdale 20.00 

2.  Water  of  Mud  Lake 1.00? 

3.  Water  of  Long  Lake 16.00 

4.  Deep  well  on  divide  between  lakes 16.6 

5.  Ludwigs  (box  spring  at  foot  of  hill) 12.2 

6.  J.  L.  Chamberlain’s  well  west  of  hotel 16.6 

7.  Simon  Dayton  shallower  well  on  divide 8.0 

8.  Deep  drive  well  Southwestern  Michigan.  ...  13. 


From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  lakes  contrast  sharply.  The 
deep  wells  (Nos.  1 and  6)  are  hard,  shallow  wells  on  divide,  No.  7 
medium,  and  Mud  Lake  very  soft. 

No.  5,  the  deep  spring,  is  quite  hard. 

No.  8,  from  non-marl  region,  is  softer  than  deep  well  waters  of 
this  locality. 

In  comparison  the  waters  of  the  two  lakes  form  a sharp  contrast. 
It  is  the  settled  idea  in  this  part  of  the  country  that  a hard  water 
lake  means  marl  and  a soft  water  lake  the  absence  of  it.  Several 
instances  besides  this  under  my  direct  observation  were  given  me 
and  I have  never  in  my  own  experience  found  a lake  which  tested 
very  soft  water  to  show  anything  but  traces  of  marl.* 

In  the  case  in  question  Mud  Lake  is  not  cut  so  deeply  into  the 
glacial  drift  as  Long  Lake.  While  there  is  sand  and  gravel  on  the 
edges,  deeper  there  is  a clay  hard-pan,  while  Long  Lake  is  in  fine 
sand  bottom.  On  the  divide  between  the  two  in  the  wells  driven 
there  is  said  to  be  a heavy  clay  layer.  Under  these  circumstances 
the  only  explanation  to  be  seen  is  that  Kound  Lake  receives  the 
surface  drainage  of  soft  water  and  is  withheld  from  seepage  into 
Long  Lake  by  a clay  hard-pan.  Long  Lake  cuts  deeper  into  the 
drift  and  receives  the  hard  water  springs  and  drainage  from  the 
same  layer  as  the  deeper  wells. 


*See  analysis  of  Goose  Lake  water,  of  Peninsular  P.  C.  Plant. 


BECOItD  OF  FIELD  WOBK  BY  D.  J.  HALE.  U9 

The  next  lake  tested  (Pl.  II)  was  Balker  or  Horseshoe  Lake.  It 
lies  about  two  miles  east  of  Cloverdale  and  a mile  in  direct  line 
at  right  angles  to  the  C.  K.  & S.  in  the  N.  E.  \ of  Sec.  22  of  Hope 
Township.  It  draws  one  of  its  names  from  its  shape.  It  has  two 
lobes  or  arms  and  a basin  into  which  both  empty  and  from  which 
issue  its  outlet.  All  the  attention  was  devoted  to  the  south  lobe 
and  basin  as  a raft  and  tools  could  not  be  propelled  into  the  north 
arm  on  account  of  the  shallowness  of  the  channel  which  was  filled 
with  marl,  covered  with  a few  inches  of  water.  The  two  arms,  like 
the  sides  of  a horseshoe,  are  surrounded  by  a low  marsh  covered 
with  tamarack,  a good  part  of  which  must  have  recently  been 
covered  with  water  as  it  is  but  little  higher  than  the  lake  surface. 
The  south  arm  as  it  now  exists  is  nearly  round  or  elliptical  in  form. 
The  east  end  consists  of  a large  and  very  shallow  flat  upon  which 
the  first  soundings  were  made.  This  flat  leads  into  the  basin  by 
a narrows  almost  choked  with  marl.  Here  it  is  well  to  remark  that 
the  marsh  vegetation  characteristic  of  marl  flats  in  general  is  a 
long  cylindrical  reed  without  leaves  or  branch,  which  shoots  up 
many  feet  from  a marl  bottom  or  grows  in  very  shallow  water,  as 
in  this  case,  where  it  almost  blocks  passage  of  a boat.  It  is  true 
that  this  reed*  is  found  to  greater  or  less  degree  on  sandy  or 
mucky  bottoms,  but  it  is  one  of  the  few  practical  guides  to  the  loca- 
tion of  marl,  though  like  all  others  never  entirely  trustworthy. 

Except  for  the  shallow  flat  mentioned  the  rest  of  the  lake  has 
the  shelf-like  bottom  already  noted,  the  shallows  forming  a ring 
but  20  or  30  feet  wide  about  the  abrupt  descent  into  deep  water. 
Soundings  were  made  on  the  edge  of  the  shallows  and  across  the 
lake  from  two  sight  points  to  determine  if  possible  the  profile  of 
the  bed  or  its  cross  section  as  cut  across  the  lake.  Before  describ- 
ing the  various  soundings  it  will  be  well  to  notice  that  the  lake 
proper,  which  so  far  as  determined  is  underlaid  with  a deep  deposit 
of  marl  does  not  cover  anywhere  near  all  the  depression  lying  be- 
tween the  steep  bluffs.  The  lake  as  a whole  more  deeply  indents 
the  surface  of  the  country  than  does  Long  Lake.  The  bluffs  are 
steeper  and  more  abrupt,  the  springs  are  noticeably  larger  and 
more  numerous  especially  near  the  lake  proper,  which  lies  horse- 
shoe shaped,  curving  around  the  south  and  west  side  of  the  valley, 
the  remainder  of  which  is  covered  with  low  tamarack  marsh.  The 
springs  are  also  of  harder  water. 


*Scirpus  lacustris?  L. 


120 


MARL. 


The  soundings  were  begun  at  the  approach  to  the  narrows  in 
the  south  arm.  The  bottom  as  at  Ackers  Point,  Long  Lake,  rises  at 
the  mouth  of  the  narrows  into  a flat  shallows.  Soundings  33  and 
34  (Diag.  No.  5)  were  taken  approaching  from  the  center  of  the  lake 
toward  the  shallowest  place  in  the  narrows  leading’ into  the  basin. 
The  distance  between  soundings  is  about  50  feet,  and  while  the  depth 
of  water  remains  the  same,  original  bottom  sinks  7 feet,  i.  e.,  the 
depth  of  marl  increases  that  much.  The  real  bottom  of  the  lake  is  the 
opposite  in  incline  to  false  bottom.  This  is  paralleled  in  Long 
Lake  where  the  narrows  at  Ackers  Point,  though  choked  with  marl, 
were  nearly  as  deep  as  the  remainder  of  the  lake,  as  the  false  bot- 
tom has  a gradual  incline,  not  terraced  like  the  sides,  but  built  up 
by  marl.  This  is  true  in  the  east  shallows  of  the  lake,  but  not  true 
of  terraces  on  north  shore.  (See  Diagram  No.  6.) 

The  next  surprise  is  the  relation  of  36  and  37.  No  36  is  taken 
on  the  usual  terrace  and  37  just  outside  (see  for  slopes  of  bottom 


No.  6. 

Fig.  5.  Soundings  33,  34,  36  and  37,  Horseshoe  Lake.  T.  2 N.,  R.  9 W. 


Diagram  No.  6).  Here  the  depth  of  original  bottom  is  less  by  3 
feet  toward  the  center  of  the  lake  than  on  the  shore  terrace.  As 
this  shore  was  lined  with  marsh  it  is  hardly  possible  that  the  marl 
extends  in  a perpendicular  bank  against  an  opposite  solid  bank  or 
shore,  but  in  all  probability  the  marl  layer  extends  out  a great  dis- 
tance under  the  marsh.  This  could  not  be  determined,  but  this 
must  be  inferred  from  a comparison  of  the  soundings  of  the  other 
terraces  before  made.  I know  of  no  possible  explanation  of  the 
almost  immediate  drop  of  level  (29-15),  14  feet  in  thickness  of  marl 
bed  unless  currents  of  long  ago  where  different  water  level  and  di- 
rection of  drainage  may  have  cut  marl  out  in  some  places  and  filled 
in  others.  (See  Fig.  5,  Diag.  No.  6.)  From  this  short  point,  upon 
which  No.  36  was  taken,  the  line  of  the  soundings  was  continued 


RE  COED  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


121 


straight  across  a slight  neck  in  the  lake  to  the  neighborhood  of 
springs  on  slightly  higher  ground.  No.  38  showed  increase  in 
depth  of  marl  again.  At  No.  39  a sample  of  water  was  taken  by 
lowering  a corked  jug  to  the  bottom,  pulling  the  string  allowing  it  to 
fill  and  at  once  raising  to  the  surface  and  putting  the  water  into 
the  fruit  jar  which  was  sealed  as  usual.  (Analysis  5,  page  46.) 

No.  40,  the  deepest  sounding  anywhere  made,  was  interesting 
both  from  what  it  revealed  and  left  buried  in  obscurity.  All  the 
pipe  in  the  apparatus  was  used  without  touching  the  original  fine 
sand  bottom  of  the  lake.  At  the  depth  of  60  feet  the  sample  which 
was  almost  fluid  was  retained  by  the  sand  pump  and  is  shown  in 
Analysis  9 of  the  table  on  p.  20.  This  analysis  shows  the  high- 
est per  cent  of  Fe203  and  organic  matter  of  any  taken  in  the  lakes. 
There  was  no  clay  and  comparatively  little  sand  as  shown  by  the 
low  per  cent  insoluble.  It  is  also  lacking  in  MgC03,  showing  a de- 
cidedly lowrer  per  cent  than  the  rest  of  Horseshoe  Lake.  This,  as 


Fig.  6.  Section  showing  Soundings  36,  37,  38,  39,  40  and  42  of  Horseshoe  Lake. 


may  be  noticed  in  later  soundings,  is  not  the  only  lake  in  which  the 
marl  of  the  deeper  portions  gains  greatly  in  organic  matter.  But 
such  an  increase  in  iron  has  not  been  elsewhere  noticed. 

Sounding  41  was  a little  to  the  east  of  the  foregoing  series,  at 
the  mouth  of  a very  large  spring.  This  spring  emptied  from  be- 
neath a bank  at  some  distance  back  from  the  water’s  edge  and  by 
a small  rill  into  the  lake.  The  boats  were  shoved  in  as  far  as  pos- 
sible and  a sounding  taken  in  a few  inches  of  water.  The  pipes 
sank  with  little  effort  to  a depth  of  32  feet.  The  sample  from  the 
very  bottom  was  like  that  at  the  top,  a fine  silt  with  a trifle  of  lime 
which  could  be  faintly  detected  by  acid.  The  spring  formed  a large 
reservoir  8 feet  across  and  5 feet  deep.  At  the  bottom  was  its 
fountain  a foot  across  and  boiling  up  through  black  silt.  The 
analysis  of  this  sample  of  water  is  No.  4 of  page  46.  The  peculiar 

phenomenon  here  witnessed  was  that  one  of  the  largest  and  liard- 
16-Pt.  Ill 


122 


MAUL. 


est  springs  should  show  no  trace  of  marl  immediately  in  or  at  its 
outlet. 

But  next  comes  Sounding  42,  made  perhaps  50  feet  to  the  west 
and  completing  the  outline  series,  the  whole  of  which  are  set  forth, 
making  a cross  section  of  the  lake  bottom  as  shown  in  Fig.  6. 
Sounding  42,  but  a short  distance  from  the  spring  and  within  25 
feet  of  solid  ground,  a bank  about  15  feet  high,  showed  marl  to  37 
feet  depth,  the  deepest  sounding  anywhere  on  the  lakes. 

And  here  it  is  well  to  remark  that  Horseshoe  or  Balker  Lake  had 
the  uniformly  thickest  layering  of  marl  of  any  of  the  five.  It  in 
fact  was  so  thick  that  its  nature  was  difficult  to  discover  on  ac- 
count of  the  slowness  and  labor  in  making  deep  soundings.  What- 
ever the  agents  were  by  which  such  a bed  was  laid  down  they 
should  be  apparent  in  so  thick  a bed.  The  springs  were  large  and 
their  water  hard,  but  no  visible  connection  between  the  water  of 
the  springs  and  the  marl  of  the  lake  could  be  discovered.  The 
largest  spring  and  its  immediate  vicinity  were  free  from  all  but 
traces  of  lime.  A very  deep  layering,  about  same  depth  as  marl, 
of  silt  replaced  the  marl  in  and  about  the  spring  and  at  its  outlet. 
The  interesting  phenomena  apparent  on  the  Bock  Islet  in  Long 
Lake,  namely  the  thick  lime  coating  of  the  pebbles,  was  again  mani- 
fested in  a part  of  the  lake  at  the  shallows  at  the  foot  of  the  lake 
next  to  the  narrows  leading  into  the  basin.  This  shallow. area 
covered  several  acres  and  was  from  1 to  2 feet  in  depth.  The  marl 
layer  as  shown  by  the  first  twTo  soundings  varied  from  the  center 
in  toward  the  narrows  from  23  to  30  feet  in  depth.  In  an  ordinary 
marsh,  especially  in  the  reeds  or  rushes,  the  bottom  is  black  or 
dark-brown  from  dead  rush,  twigs,  silt,  and  other  marsh  accumula- 
tions, but  the  bottom  here,  even  in  the  reeds  which  ought  to  catch 
and  hold  everything  that  came  to  them,  was  gleaming  white  marl. 
In  fact  it  was  very  much  lighter  in  color  than  the  specimens  at  the 
bottom  which  were  in  almost  every  case  steel-blue  in  color.  This 
color  with  a lack  of  a trace  of  organic  matter  at  the  surface  was 
in  this  particular  case  perhaps  explained  by  a more  minute  examin- 
ation of  the  bottom.  A branch  of  a dead  tree  leaned  over  and 
where  it  touched  the  water  disappeared  from  sight.  Upon  follow- 
ing it  beneath  the  water’s  surface  it  was  found  to  have  become 
coated  with  white  lime  covering,  essentially  the  same  in  structure 
and  appearance  as  that  of  the  pebbles  in  Long  Lake.  There  was 
the  same  triple  coating  of  green  or  chlorophyl  between  the  layers 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


123 


of  granular  lime.  In  the  distribution  the  lime  reminded  one  of 
the  limbs  of  a tree  after  a snowstorm,  the  greatest  thickness  of 
lime  being  on  top  and  scarcely  any  underneath.  This  coating  was 
not  confined  to  twigs,  but  included  anything  that  had  fallen  into  the 
water,  all  being  covered  so  that  they  lost  their  identity  and  blended 
closely  with  the  brownish  white  bottom. 

The  last  portion  of  the  lake  investigated  was  the  basin.  This 
basin  is  nearly  circular  in  form,  is  shallow  and  overgrown  with 
round  rushes  at  the  margin  and  increases  gradually  to  about  10 
feet  depth  at  center.  Its  waters,  clear  as  crystal,  lie  over  a very 
deep  bed  of  marl.  It  has  three  arms,  one  leading  from  the  north 
arm  of  the  Horseshoe  Lake*  one  from  the  south  arm  and  lastly 
the  outlet  or  creek.  All  are  so  overgrown  with  rushes  and  choked 
with  marl  that  boats  are  forced  through  with  difficulty.  The  sound- 
ings made  and  marked  in  the  list  make  the  average  uniform  depth 
of  marl  about  30  feet.  The  clearness  of  the  water  can  perhaps  be 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  every  particle  of  foreign  matter, 
organic  or  otherwise  which  might  find  its  way  into  the  pool,  seems 
to  be  surrounded  and  buried  by  the  lime  as  described  in  the  case  of 
twigs.  Whether  the  lime  or  marl  be  precipitated  carrying  down 
the  organic  matter  with  the  marl  or  whether  the  particles  attract 
the  lime  by  the  assimilating  action  of  minute  animal  or  plant  organ- 
isms one  result  is  here  obtained.  The  water  is  left  so  pure  and 
clear  and  free  from  foreign  matter  that  fish  or  water  plants  can  be 
seen  entirely  across  the  basin.  Here  it  is  well  to  remark  that  the 
bottom  was  overgrown  with  a plant  much  in  appearance  like  a 
small  pine  tree.  In  the  middle  of  the  lake  sound  at  40  feet,  a 
deep  water  plant  was  brought  us,  smelling  exactly  like  a pole  cat.* 

The  best  samples  of  Balker  Lake  were  not  analyzed.  The  very 
deep  samples  were  tough  and  steel-blue,  were  evidently  high  in 
clay  and  organic  matter,  but  on  the  whole  not  so  sandy  as  those 
of  Long  Lake. 

As  will  be  seen  by  descriptions  on  page  46,  samples  of  water  were 
taken  from  two  springs,  from  the  deepest  part  at  sounding  41,  from 
the  surface  and  outlet  of  the  basin  and  it  can  be  easily  seen  that  on 
account  of  the  intensely  marly  nature  of  the  lake  its  waters  should 
reveal  something  of  the  marl’s  origin. 

It  is  impossible  to  reconstruct  the  lake  as  it  once  existed.  Its 
bold  shores  and  large  marsh  hint  at  a far  greater  depth  and  volume 


'See  pp.  56,  89. 


124 


MABL. 


of  water  with  currents  which  may  have  done  something  toward 
disturbing  the  evenness  of  so  thick  a layering  of  marl. 

As  in  reality  a small  portion  of  the  whole  bed  was  examined  the 
rest  lying  under  the  adjoining  marsh,  the  cross  section  (Fig.  6)  is 
rather  incomplete  and  the  individual  soundings  do  not  show  the 
pronounced  relations  between  true  and  false  bottom.  Attention 
is  especially  called  to  the  sounding  mid  lake,  which  shows  the  re- 
markable difference  in  quality  of  the  marl  in  the  deep  water,  as  it 
contains  much  iron  and  organic  matter  and  only  about  half  calcium 
carbonate.  It  has  been  suggested  as  an  explanation  that  the  or- 
ganic matter  of  the  lake  upon  account  of  the  dish-like  shape  of  the 
lake  tends  to  slide  into  the  central  or  deeper  portions,  giving  them  a 
more  highly  organic  character. 

It  was  especially  noticeable  that  Long  Lake  contained  a more 
caustic  marl  than  Horseshoe  Lake.  In  Long  Lake  the  hands  of  the 
operators  were  severely  chapped  and  seamed,  while  this  was 
scarcely  noticeable  in  Horseshoe  Lake.  The  marl  did  not  seem  to 
bite. 

A review  of  the  springs  of  Horseshoe  Lake  hardly  seemed  to 
justify  the  theory  of  immediate  precipitation  of  lime.  There  was 
no  trace  of  marl  in  or  around  them  although  at  a distance  of  a few 
hundred  feet  the  deepest  marl  wds  found.  LTpon  the  whole  this 
lake  is  very  deeply  indented  in  the  surface  of  the  country,  having 
high,  steep  bluffs.  The  portion  covered  by  water  has  a steep  ter- 
race or  shelf,  less  shallows  than  Long  Lake,  with  a deeper  and 
larger  lake  center.  It  has  a thicker,  more  homogeneous  marl  with 
considerable  organic  matter  distributed  most  largely  toward  a 
somewhat  clay  bottom. 

The  next  lake  visited  was  Guernsey.  This  lake  lies  northwest 
of  Cloverdale  about  l\  miles  in  Secs.  17,  18,  19,  Hope  Township. 
Its  two  long  lobes  form  like  Long  Lake  what  might  have  once  been 
an  old  river  valley.  This  is  continued  by  a rather  narrow  marsh 
and  creek  forming  an  outlet.  This  marsh,  several  miles  away,  is 
said  to  contain  bog  iron. 

The  lower  lobe  only  could  be  examined,  as  it  was  impossible  to 
get  the  raft  through  the  narrows  between  the  lobes.  The  lobe 
examined  appeared  something  like  a mitten.  The  wrist  forms  the 
extension,  shallows  and  narrows  leading  to  the  north  arm  the  hand. 
The  main  body  of  deep  water  is  fringed  with  shallows.  The  thumb 
to  the  west  was  a long  lagoon  lying  in  marsh.  The  south  end  was 


125 


4 

BECOBD  OF  FIELD  WOIiK  BY  D.  J.  BALE. 

all  sandy  bottom  destitute  of  marl.  Yet  the  usu^l  terrace  was 
there  and  so  close  to  shore  that  teams  must  be  careful  not  to  drive 
in  far  for  fear  of  suddenly  slipping  off  the  shelf  into  deep  water. 
A spring  was  found  near  the  south  end,  of  which  the  water  was 
sampled  in  jar  9.  (See  page  46,  Chap.  IV.)  A small  deposit  of 
iron  was  on  the  vegetation,  but  no  trace  of  lime  could  be  seen  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  spring.  As  proddings  were  made  from  time  to 
time  up  the  east  side  of  the  lake  a sandy  marl  was  found  which 
increased  to  a depth  of  several  feet  as  usual  at  the  approach  to  the 
narrows.  There  were  broad  flats  or  shallows  which,  being  covered 
with  marl,  gave  the  neighboring  fishermen  the  idea  that  there  must 
be  an  extensive  deposit  of  marl.  Upon  actual  sounding  it  was 
found  that  the  flats  were  covered  by  1 to  3 feet  of  water,  beneath 
which  was  3 to  4 feet  of  marl  and  below  this  a tough,  almost  im- 
penetrable blue  clay  bottom.  The  lagoon  opening  on  the  west 
side,  described  as  the  thumb,  contained  nothing  but  fine  silt  to  a 
depth  of  25  to  30  feet.  It  seems  queer,  but  is  a fact,  that  upon  the 
west  side  of  the  narrow  tongue  of  marsh  dividing  off  the  lagoon 
there  should  be  pure  silt  of  the  ordinary  marsh  or  river  formation, 
while  upon  the  east  side  in  lake  proper  there  were  20  to  25  feet 
of  the  best  marl  in  the  lake,  the  bottom  also  in  the  latter  case  show- 
ing strict  terrace  formation,  which  was  tested  in  the  usual  way  by 
Soundings  49  and  51.  In  this  case  the  bottom  was  found  nearly 
level  and  about  the  same  depth  beneath  water  level  as  that  in  the 
lagoon.  West  of  it  the  difference  in  the  terrace  was,  in  this,  the 
first  instance  cited,  caused  by  difference  in  thickness  of  marl  layer. 
But  this  is  a very  slight  terrace.  Compared  with  real  ones  previ- 
ously examined  there  is  but  a four  foot  fall.  This  could  have 
easily  been  displaced  or  washed  over  the  sand,  which  is  further 
south  and  to  which  it  sinks.  An  examination  of  analyses  12A  and 
B,  13A  and  B,  and  14A  and  B shows  a very  interesting  condition 
of  the  bed.  The  surface  samples,  12B,  13B  and  14B  show  by  far 
the  higher  lime  and  in  every  case  a much  smaller  percentage 
MgC03,  but  far  the  higher  percentage  organic  matter  and  lower 
percentage  insolubles.  In  other  words  the  marl  is  at  the  surface 
fair  marl  but  with  considerable  organic  matter,  but  at  the  bottom 
it  merges  into  a blue  clay  which  of  course  is  higher  in  insolubles, 
higher  in  MgCCK  and  much  lower  in  organic  matter,  except  in  case 
of  14A.  The  MgC03  is  not  very  high,  and  as  the  clay  is  very  fine 


126 


MARL. 


grained,  if  not  too  deeply  buried,  it  could  be  used  mixed  with  the 
marl  for  factory  purposes. 

14B  is  one  of  the  best  samples  found  in  the  lakes  and  was  taken 
in  Sounding  32. 

To  recapitulate  the  important  features  of  this  lake.  It  is  long 
and  river-like,  undoubtedly  one  of  the  old  glacial  valleys  like  Long 
Lake.  The  layering  of  marl  lies  toward  the  west  side  of  the  south 
lobe,  is  underlain  by  blue  clay,  is  from  2 or  3 to  28  feet  deep,  is  not 
as  uniformly  thick  as  Horseshoe  Lake,  does  not  cover  the  whole 
lake,  is  flanked  upon  the  west  side  by  a deep  lagoon  filled  with  silt. 
Its  springs  show  no  unusual  trace  of  marl.  It  does  not  indent  the 
surrounding  hills  very  deeply,  being  the  shallowest  placed  lake  so 
far  visited. 

The  next  lake  examined  was  Tine  Lake.  This  lake,  north  of 
Cloverdale,  is  in  Sections  8 and  9 of  Hope  Township.  The  portion 
covered  by  water  when  the  lake  was  examined  rendered  its  out- 
line very  different  from  that  given  on  the  county  atlas.  It  con- 
sists of  three  large  lobes,  the  narrows  of  which  were  larger  and  less 
obstructed  than  any  so  far  visited.  Time  permitted  only  the  exam- 
ination of  the  south  lobe  and  its  connecting  narrows.  The  first 
sounding  was  made  at  the  cove  or  landing  where  stock  and  teams 
are  driven  and  row-boats  usually  land.  • The  surface  of  the  marl  is 
muddy,  which  is  an  unusual  occurrence  not  found  elsewhere  in  the 
lake.  It  may  be  due  to  the  constant  roiling  at  the  water’s  edge. 
The  next  sounding  was  made  across  that  end  of  the  lake  at  a large 
boiling  spring.  This  spring  was  about  a yard  across  and  its  loca- 
tion was  marked  by  a large  number  of  bubbling  fountains  which 
boiled  up  through  the  marl  10  feet  thick.  This  is  the  first  case 
where  marl  was  found  in  or  about  a spring.  The  analysis  of  this 
marl  (No.  17)  shows  it  to  be  remarkably  free  from  sand  or  clay,  but 
quite  high  in  organic  matter.  Although  the  bottom  from  which 
the  spring  came  was  fine  sand  like  the  rest  of  the  lake,  and  al- 
though the  water  was  washed  up  through  it  and  the  marl,  the 
ascending  stream  seems  to  have  no  power  left  to  mix  the  sand  with 
the  overlying  marl. 

As  the  remainder  of  the  south  lobe  presented  no  unusual  ap- 
pearance, a series  of  soundings  were  made  across  the  first  narrows, 
which  were  perhaps  100  feet  wide.  These  soundings  are  numbered 
from  3 to  8 on  the  record  sheet.  Figure  7 shows  the  cross  section 
of  the  bottom  as  platted  from  the  soundings. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


127 


By  this  it  is  seen  that  from  Sounding  3 to  Sounding  7 there  was 
a deep  original  channel  nearly  filled  with  marl  except  where  gouged 
out  in  the  center  of  the  modern  narrows.  On  the  west  side  Sound- 
ing 8 shows  another  channel  almost  entirely  filled  with  marl.  As 
the  true  bottom  shows  no  sudden  terrace  or  shelf  so  the  marl  or 
false  bottom,  though  it  slopes  to  form  the  deep  depression  of  mid- 
channel, does  so  gradually  without  the  sudden  step  or  terrace  for- 
mations. To  appreciate  this  compare  true  and  false  bottom  here  and 
in  Diagram  3,  Plate  I.  From  the  way  the  marl  lies  it  would  appear 
worn  away  in  mid-channel.  It  would  be  unfair  to  establish  this  as  a 
fact  as  the  marl  might  have  formed  more  easily  about  the  side  or 
points  forming  the  narrows  and  so  have  built  out  into  the  channel. 

The  samples  taken  from  this  lake  are  analyses  Nos.  16,  17  and  18 
A and  B,  20A  and  B.  They  average  better  than  those  of  other 
lakes  of  the  group.  The  first,  No.  16  (Sounding  No.  1),  is  the  poor- 
est. Though  taken  about  30  feet  from  shore  and  at  a depth  of 
20  feet,  the  sample  contains  considerable  sand  which  has  evidently 


worked  out  from  the  shore.  This  is  shown  by  a high  per  cent  of 
“insoluble  in  HC1.”  The  surface  was  before  described  as  being 
covered  with  organic  matter,  the  only  black  bottoms  on  the  lake 
and  probably  due  to  the  landing. 

No.  7,  taken  in  front  of  the  boiling  spring  at  10  feet  depth,  shoves 
a very  high  per  cent  of  organic  matter  though  otherwise  light  in 
A1203,  Fe203,  insolubles,  and  MgC03.  The  especially  low  percent- 
age of  insolubles  and  A1203,  Fe203  are  interesting,  as  the  sounding 
showed  the  spring  boiled  up  through  a 10-foot  bed  of  marl.  At 
the  bottom  was  fine  sand.  This  sand  was  not  mixed  with  marl  as 
would  appear  natural,  but  the  sample  taken  was  unusually  free 
from  insolubles  as  the  first  column  indicates.  Again,  this  sample 
is  the  freest  from  Fe203,  A1203  of  any  taken.  The  spring  then  left 
none  of  its  iron  in  passing  through  clear  marl,  but  carried  it  away 
in  solution.  Near  by  there  is  an  outlet  to  this  lake  and  this  out- 


128 


MARL. 


let,  several  miles  away,  contains  a large  deposit  of  bog  iron  ore 
though  within  the  immediate  vicinity  there  vis  no  trace  of  it  and 
the  samples  are  free  from  all  but  slight  amounts  of  iron  and 
alumina;  .8$  to  3J$.  In  19,  20  and  21  both  surface  (B)  and  deep  (A) 
samples  were  taken.  These  samples  belong  to  Soundings  5,  6 and 
9,  respectively.  (See  Diagram  No.  8.)  These  soundings  form  part 
of  the  cross  section  of  the  narrows  and  are  about  20  feet  apart. 
Some  investigators  have  thought  that  deep  samples  show  higher 
percentage  of  magnesia  than  do  shallow,  so  it  was  thought  advis- 
able to  compare  analyses  of  surface  and  deep  samples  in  order,  if 
possible,  to  arrive  at  a conclusion  as  to  the  increase  in  percentage 
of  magnesia.  Such  a conclusion  might  assist  in  tracing  the  origin 
of  marl.  In  the  three  pairs  of  analyses,  18,  19,  20,  the  first  two 
show  the  highest  magnesia  at  the  surface  while  20  is  a little  in 
favor  of  the  deep  samples.  In  two  cases  out  of  three,  18  and  20 
against  19,  the  organic  content  is  the  greater  with  the  increased 
depth.  In  all  three  instances  Fe203,  A1203  is  highest  in  deep 
samples.  In  19,  where  the  organic  matter  varies  least  with  depth, 
Fe203,  A12Os  varies  least.  This  sample,  Sounding  6,  is,  however, 
but  9 feet  in  depth,  giving  the  least  distance  of  any  of  the  three 
soundings  sampled,  between  surface  and  deep  sample.  It  is  notice- 
able that  there  is  less  variation  in  any  of  these  components  than  in 
the  soundings  where  distance  between  samples  is  greater.  In  two 
out  of  three  the  insoluble  matter  is  highest  in  the  lower  sounding. 
In  comparison  of  future  samples  from  different  depths  it  will  be 
well  to  keep  in  mind  the  mutual  relation  with  varying  depth  of  the 
samples  in  order  to  find  if  possible  the  constant  variation  in  com* 
position  of  a marl  bed.  This  would  be  of  little  aid  to  the  factory 
chemist  as  the  dredge  makes  a clean  cut  from  bottom  to  top,  but 
may  assist  in  our  scientific  research  for  the  origin  of  marl. 

For  the  sake  of  clearness  and  to  give  some  system  to  the  perusal 
of  further  descriptions  it  is  thought  best  to  review  the  work  upon 
the  five  lakes  so  far  discussed. 

CLOVERDALE  REGION SUMMARY. 

Long  Lake  is  covered  with  a sheet  of  marl  varying  from  20  to  30 
feet  in  depth.  The  bottom  of  the  lake  is  not  level  and  even,  but 
has  a more  or  less  regular  terrace  on  the  south  side,  a deep  channel 
which  runs  from  mid  lake  under  the  marsh  at  the  present  outlet, 


BECOBD  OF  FIELD  WOBK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


129 


narrowing  at  the  same  time  to  a width  of  thirty  or  forty  feet.  This 
channel,  which  forms  the  deeper  portions  of  the  lake,  is  choked  at 
Ackers  Point,  about  mid-way  and  the  lakes  outlet,  with  a depth  of 
marl  of  about  thirty  feet.  At  a depth  of  twenty-five  feet  of  water 
in  mid  lake  there  is  twenty  feet  of  marl,  showing  that  the  bed  thins 
in  water  of  that  depth. 

Besides  the  main  channel  there  are  many  sudden  holes  in  the 
outline  of  the  original  sand  bottom,  and  also  a sandy  islet  where 
pebbles  and  stones  crop  out  at  the  surface.  To  each  side  of  this 
islet  the  channel,  while  it  is  not  as  deep  as  toward  the  outlet  of 
mid  lake,  is  filled  evenly  with  marl.  The  depth  from  surface  of 
water  to  original  bottom  is,  on  the  north  side  of  the  island,  27  feet, 
on  the  south  side  13  feet,  while  the  depth  of  water  is  four  feet  in 
both  cases. 

The  accompanying  map  of  the  lake  and  cross  sections  of  the  bed 
are  made  to  show  the  manner  in  which  the  marl  is  deposited  upon 
the  terraces.  The  effect  of  the  marl  in  all  cases  is  to  round  over 
and  fill  up  holes.  It  deposits  sparingly  upon  the  rocky  islet  and 
fills  the  channels  to  each  side.  It  thins  toward  the  center,  but 
produces  a less  sudden  descent  from  the  terraces  than  would  have 
been  found  on  the  original  bottom,  before  the  deposit  of  marl. 

The  deposit  lies  evenly  at  both  ends,  and  along  the  southeast 
shore,  but  is  thin  and  persistent  only  at  points  which  project  from 
the  northwest  shore. 

The  lake  being  three  miles  long  and  but  a few  hundred  feet  wide, 
and  having  high  gravel  and  clay  hills,  is  very  subject  to  washings 
of  surface  soil.  Its  composition  is  heavily  influenced  by  sand  and 
clay  rendering  it  of  little  use  for  factory  purposes. 

The  waters  flowing  into  the  lake  by  its  springs  are  very  hard, 
as  were  also  the  deep  drive  wells  of  the  immediate  vicinity.  The 
lake  adjoining,  called  Mud  or  Round  Lake  was  remarkable  for  its 
contrast.  It  apparently  received  the  soft  waters  of  surface  seepage, 
was  clearly  of  higher  level,  with  sand,  clay  and  mud  bottom.  A 
trace  of  marl  under  several  feet  of  muck  was  found  in  thirty-five 
feet  of  water.  The  saying  that  “hard  water  makes  hard  marl”  was 
very  well  exemplified  in  these  two  lakes.  From  a view  of  the  two 
so  close  together,  yet  so  different  in  their  content  of  marl  and  the 
hardness  of  their  waters,  it  would  appear  that  Mud  Lake  indented 
the  surface  of  the  country  less  and  did  not  receive  the  drainage  of 
17-Pt.  Ill 


130 


MARL . 


the  springs  from  the  deeper  strata  of  soil.  Its  surface  is  about 
fifteen  feet  higher  than  that  of  Long  Lake  and  the  ditch  connecting 
the  two  lakes  had  furnished  water  fall  sufficient  to  run  a mill. 

Horseshoe  Lake  (Plate  II)  contains  the  deepest  and  most  actively 
depositing  bed  of  marl  and  the  deepest  of  any  of  the  lakes  investi- 
gated in  this  region.  The  lake  as  it  now  exists  encircles  a portion 
of  the  whole  basin  in  the  form  of  a horseshoe,  the  remainder  being 
covered  by  marsh.  The  largest  and  most  intensely  carbonated 
springs  and  lake  water  were  found  here.*  This  lake,  running  from 
20  to  37  feet  of  marl  on  shallows.  It  also  shows  the  same  tendency 
to  fill  the  sudden  step  made  by  the  greatly  increasing  depth  from 
the  shallow  terraces  to  deep  water.  In  this  deposit  the  greater 
variation  in  composition  resulting  from  increase  in  organic  matter, 
is  seen  every  time  a deep  and  a shallow  sounding  are  taken  in  the 
same  spot  for  comparison.  The  great  coldness  of  the  deep  water 
of  mid  lake  is  sharply  contrasted  with  the  luke-warm  water  of 
the  shallows.  The  great  abundance  of  plant  life  in  shallow  water 
and  the  thick  incrustation  of  every  object  covered  by  shallow  water 
are  very  striking,  as  are  the  absence  of  incrustation  plants  from 
deep  water.f  This  is  the  remainder  of  a very  large  deeply  indented 
lake  basin,  which  has  held  the  hard  waters  of  its  deep  springs  for 
many  centuries.  Nearly  all  the  basin  is  sealed  by  marsh  growth. 
The  portion  remaining  consists  of  the  waters  of  Horseshoe  Lake, 
which  are  actively  depositing  the  best  grade  of  marl  at  the  surface 
of  its  shallows. 

The  portion  of  Guernsey  Lake  examined  is  remarkable  for  its 
strictly  local  deposit  of  marl.  The  thumb  described  contains  very 
good  marl  on  its  east  side  and  a corresponding  depth  of  loose  lake 
silt  on  its  west  side  in  the  lagoon.  On  the  one  side  the  particles 
of  silt  are  surrounded  by  the  deposit  of  marl,  making  a marl  bed 
with  22$  calcium  carbonate  at  bottom  and  64$  calcium  carbonate 
at  surface,  while  on  the  other  side  of  the  tongue  of  land  fifty  feet 
away  there  is  a deposit  of  twenty  to  thirty  feet  of  pure  silt.  At 
the  head  of  the  lake  there  is  no  marl  at  all,  though  there  is  a ter- 
race and  a spring  of  water  containing  130  parts  in  the  million  of 
calcium  carbonate,  which  is  a fair  average.  It  appears  from  this 
that  conditions  are  not  always  favorable  for  the  growth  of  marl, 
given  the  same  kind  of  bottom  and  the  same  water.  True,  the  con- 


*See  Nos.  4,  8 and  5,  page  46,  Chapter  IV. 
tWesenberg-Lund. 


BE  CORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  IIALE. 


131 


ditions  are  not  exactly  identical  with  those  of  the  deep  deposit  at 
Horseshoe  Lake.  The  springs  are  not  so  plentiful  or  of  such  hard 
water.  The  sandy  spot  alluded  to  is  bare  and  unsheltered. 

Pine  Lake  shows  fairly  hard  water,  a good  deposit  of  marl  over 
the  entire  lake  and  not  as  great  difference  in  content  of  organic 
matter  as  Horseshoe  Lake  or  Guernsey  Lake.  This  v^as  a case 
where  a spring  bubbled  up  through  ten  feet  of  marl  without  bring- 
ing sand  into  its  composition  or  otherwise  affecting  its  quality. 
We  must  conclude  that  the  immediate  locality  of  springs  has  no 
effect  upon  the  position  of  the  marl  either  in  regard  to  depth  or 
quality. 

The  samples  of  water  taken  are  interesting  only  from  one  point 
of  comparison.  For  the  whole  list  of  samples  and  analyses  of 
some,  see  page  46,  Chap.  IV. 


CaC03  COMPARED  IN  PARTS  PER  MILLION. 


Springs. 

Wells 

Surface. 

Water  medium  deep. 

Horseshoe  200.  160 

70 

100  117 

Long  Lake  100 

160,  156 

40 

O-uernsey  130 

40 

Pine  Lake  170,  136 

80 

Mud  Lake  80 

30 

53.6 

From  these  comparisons  and  those  made  with  soap  solution  in 
the  field,  it  appears:  that  the  most  intensely  marl  lakes  have  the 
most  heavily  carbonated  waters,  the  soft  water  lake  showing  much 
poorer  in  all  cases ; that  in  the  lake  itself,  the  deep  water  contains 
the  most  gas  and  carbonates  and  that  they  uniformly  disappear  in 
every  lake  at  the  surface,  the  gas  being  lost  entirely  and  the  car- 
bonates in  a fairly  even  proportion.  These  well,  spring  and  lake 
waters  substantiate  the  idea  that  the  water’s  hardness  is  respon- 
sible for  the  presence  of  the  marl  in  a somewhat  direct  ratio  to  the 
strength  of  the  carbonates  it  contains. 

§ 3.  Pierson  Lakes. 

I visited  Big  and  Little  Whitefish  Lake,  southwest  of  Pierson 
three  or  four  miles,  Pierson  Township,  Mecosta  County. 

The  general  outline  of  the  land  is  a rather  monotonous  level, 
but  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  lakes  it  is  considerably  broken,  but 
not  as  much  as  at  Cloverdale.  Big  Whitefish  Lake  is  about  three 
miles  long  by  a mile  wide.  Its  shore  level  sinks  into  extensive 
shallows  consisting  of  somewhere  between  20  and  30  feet  of  marl. 


132 


MAUL. 


At  near  the  center  a “blind  island”  rises  from  the  very  deep  water 
and  is  covered  by  about  25  feet  of  marl.  Blind  islands  are  met 
with  often  in  these  lakes.  They  are  small  shallows  in  the  deep 
water  of  mid  lake.  There  are  large  flowing  springs  along  the 
shores  of  the  lake.  These  springs  deposit  iron  upon  the  stones  and 
vegetation  at  their  borders,  but  the  marl  in  the  lake  below  them 
appears  to  be  unaffected  by  iron  coloring.  One  spring  at  the  south 
end  gave  marked  smell  and  taste  of  sulphur  and  was  valued  highly 
for  its  medicinal  properties. 

At  its  southeast  corner  the  lake  is  bounded  by  a sandy  ridge 
containing  gravel  with  fossils  and  granite  boulders.  Beyond  this 
ridge,  perhaps  200  yards  to  the  east,  is  a deep  hole  or  smaller  lake, 
about  200  feet  across.  This  is  fed  by  intensely  irony  springs  and 
empties  by  a deeply  cut  creek  into  the  larger  lake.  The  sudden 
fall  gives  about  ten  feet  of  water  fall  for  turning  light  machinery. 
The  creek  is  very  interesting.  Its  bottom  is  composed  of  marl 
which  continues  up  its  steep  bank  20  or  30  feet.  About  half  way  to 
the  top  of  the  ridge  upon  the  sides  the  marl  is  shown  on  the  up- 
rooted stumps  of  large  forest  trees. 

Between  the  two  bodies  of  water  mentioned  is  a kettle  not  as 
deep,  but  with  sides  so  steep  that  there  was  some  speculation  as 
to  whether  the  Indians  had  not  dug  it  out  to  make  their  mound 
which  was  on  the  ridge  to  the  east.  Upon  examination  a crude 
marl  was  found  in  the  bottom  of  this  kettle  under  a few  feet  of 
loam,  showing  that  it,  with  the  low  ground  adjoining,  had  been 
under  water.  It  looked  as  though  the  three,  the  larger  lake,  the 
hole  and  the  kettle  between  had  once  been  one  and  that  the  creek 
bed  was  once  but  a connecting  channel. 

A bed  of  clay  was  examined  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Shanklin  some 
little  distance  from  the  lake.  The  clay  bed  was  covered  by  2 or  3 
feet  of  red  and  yellow  ochre,  which  had  at  one  time  been  dug  for 
paint.  An  augur  was  used  and  the  ochre  and  clay  bed  beneath 
penetrated  to  the  depth  of  10  or  12  feet.  The  samples  brought  up 
showed  a fine  clay  which  reacted  feebly  with  acid,  but  was  in  most 
cases  mixed  with  sand,  which  seemed  to  run  through  the  bed  some- 
what in  layers,  there  being  found  several  samples  entirely  free  from 
grit. 

Little  Whitefish  Lake,  two  or  three  miles  from  Whitefish 
Lake,  was  visited  briefly  and  a few  soundings  made  at  the  south 
end.  Here  there  was  a swamp  at  the  southeast  corner  which  was 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


133 


probed  to  a depth  of  15  feet  without  striking  anything  but  silt. 
The  marl  upon  this  side  seemed  slightly  red  or  brownish  in  cast, 
but  at  the  west  side  it  was  much  whiter.  The  marl  was  (28  ft.) 
deeper  upon  the  points  or  shallows  running  out  from  the  shores 
and  of  the  prevailing  consistency.  North  of  the  marsh  and  jutting 
almost  into  the  lake  was  a bluff  showing  25  to  30  feet  of  clay  which 
was  nearly  like  rock,  of  light  color  and  was  calcareous. 

§ 4.  Lime  Lake  and  vicinity. 

The  lakes  about  to  be  described  are  near  Cedar  Springs  in  the 
northern  part  of  Kent  County.  The  country  through  which  our 
guide  led  us  showed  very  distinctly  the  effects  of  the  glacial  action. 
Steep  hills,  waterways,  creeks  and  small  lakes  produced  a very 
undulating  surface.  The  first  fact  worthy  of  notice  was  very  strik- 
ingly illustrated  in  the  examination  of  road  cuts  in  several  side 
hills.  These  hills  were  generally  coarse  sand  which  was  thor- 
oughly seeded  with  small  pebbles  and  boulders.  At  varying  dis- 
tances up  their  sides,  clay  strata  projected  slightly,  or  their  exposed 
surfaces  were  worn  down  and  hidden  by  sand  and  gravel  from 
above.  These  clay  banks  are  typical  of  half  the  clay  in  Michigan. 
In  color  it  is  light  or  ashy  gray.  Its  texture  or  grain  is  ruined  by 
the  admixture  of  fine  sand.  Upon  addition  of  acid  it  effervesces 
more  freely  than  many  samples  of  marl  because  it  contains  so  high 
a percentage  of  carbonates  of  calcium  and  magnesium.  Upon  a 
further  examination  of  the  bank  or  hill  the  carbonated  condition  of 
the  soil  is  found  to  continue  not  only  in  the  clay,  but  also  in  the 
loose  and  apparently  pure  sand  as,  upon  contact  with  acid,  the 
surfaces  of  the  sand  grains  freely  effervesce. 

Parallel  with  the  stratum  of  clay  are  often  found  small  ledges  or 
boulders  of  a matrix  of  coarse  sand  in  which  are  cemented  small 
pebbles.  The  upper  surface  is  even  as  if  smoothed  by  the  leveling 
action  of  water,  although  the  rock,  as  it  has  now  become,  is  fifty  feet 
above  the  level  of  a stream  and  buried  in  a hill.  The  lower  surface 
of  this  rock  or  tufa  is  uneven  and  jagged.  Upon  the  addition  of  acid 
to  this  rock  it  also,  as  in  the  case  of  the  sand  and  clay,  bubbles 
with  escape  of  gas,  and  the  particles  of  sand  and  the  pebbles  fall 
apart  showing  that  the  matrix  or  binding  element  is  not  the  insolu- 
ble sand,  but  the  very  soluble  carbonates.* 

A comparative  test  for  hardness  was  made  upon  the  springs  and 
creeks  of  this  region  during  the  trip  and  all  were  found  to  be  very 


*A  similar  recent  sandstone  occurs  beneath  the  clay  bed  at  Harrietta.  L. 


134 


MARL. 


hard.  Lime  as  a carbonate  was  found  to  permeate  very  thoroughly 
the  soils  of  the  whole  district,  and  the  soil  mixing  effect  of  glacial 
action  was  very  marked. 

Lime  Lake. 

The  first  lake  visited  in  this  region  was  Lime  Lake.  An  old  kiln 
was  still  to  be  seen  marking  the  place  where  marl  from  the  lake 
had  once  been  burned  for  lime.  The  lake  as  a whole  made  a very 
sharp  and  deep  indentation  or  circular  hole  in  the  plain  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  shallows  on  its  shores  formed  a white  but 
narrow  margin  ending  in  an  abrupt  terrace  and  very  deep  water 
toward  the  center  of  the  lake.  The  shallows,  the  dry  land  of  the 
valley,  and  the  broad  entering  valley  of  a small  creek,  formed  a 
solid  body  of  very  white  marl  from  fifteen  to  twenty-seven  feet  in 
thickness.  Shells,  large  and  small,  constituted  nearly  the  entire 
body  of  marl  even  at  the  greatest  depth  and  they  preserved  their 
form  perfectly.  This  is  certainly  one  instance,  at  least,  in  which 
shells  can  furnish  nearly  if  not  all  the  excuse  for  the  origin  of 
marl. 

Several  samples  of  marl  taken  a few  feet  below  the  surface,  upon 
drying,  turned  from  nearly  white  to  a pronounced  red.  This  was 
very  likely  due  to  the  oxidation,  upon  exposure  to  air,  of  the  fer- 
rous or  nearly  colorless  iron  to  the  ferric  state  in  which  the  color 
is  red.  The  valley  opening  into  the  lake  from  above  was  very  large 
and  probably  once  formed  an  old  glacial  valley.  It  connects  Lime 
Lake  with  several  higher  ones  and  is  a pure  marl  bed  with  but  slight 
covering  of  surface  soil. 

Twin  Lakes. 

These  lakes  were  remarkable  for  their  great  contrasts  with  each 
other.  They  had  no  visible  union,  but  they  were  said  to  connect 
with  each  other  by  an  underground  channel.  The  lower  one  was 
shallow  and  sandy,  the  upper  one  was  a hole  between  huge  banks 
which,  in  cuts  made  by  washouts,  were  almost  identical  in  nature 
with  the  sand  hills  before  described.  Its  banks  or  bluffs,  fifty  feet 
high,  descended  with  but  a step  for  a shore  line,  directly  into  water, 
making  no  shallows  whatever.  So  abrupt  was  the  descent  to  the 
bottom  that  one  standing  on  shore  could  shove  a pole  out  of  sight 
in  the  water  without  touching  bottom.  The  lake  is  said  to  be  one 
hundred  and  seventy  feet  deep,  according  to  the  measurements  of 
the  Fish  Commission.  The  springs  emptying  into  .the  lake  formed 
a glistening  scum  of  iron.  This  lake  is  a very  good  example  of  the 
hundreds  of  holes  made  by  glacial  action  and  without  which  we 
could  not  have  the  conditions  necessary  for  the  formation  of  marl. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


135 


§ 5.  Fremont  District. 

Fremont  Lake  and  the  town  of  Fremont  are  situated  on  the 
Pere  Marquette  railroad  in  the  northern  part  of  Sheridan  Township, 
Newaygo  County.  The  country  surrounding  the  lake  is  rather 
level  and  the  lake  makes  but  a slight  indentation  in  the  surface. 
In  sharp  contrast  to  this  the  lakes  in  the  hilly  country  before 
examined  seemed  to  depend  for  the  depth  and  extensiveness  of 


Fig.  8.  Fremont  Lake,  Newaygo  County. 


their  deposits  upon  the  comparative  depth  at  which  their  basins 
were  sunk  below  the  level  of  the  surrounding  country.  Fremont 
Lake  has  a very  shallow  basin  and  it  therefore  differs  entirely 
from  the  regions  before  mentioned. 

The  lake  is  to  be  the  site  of  a fourteen-rotary  cement  plant  to 
be  run  by  power  transmitted  from  the  other  factory  to  be  built  at 
Newaygo. 


136 


MAUL. 


The  map  of  Fig.  8 represents  Fremont  Lake  or  the  portion  of 
its  basin  covered  by  water.  The  dotted  line  encloses  that  portion 
most  available  for  cement  purposes.  The  depths  of  marl  sound- 
ings are  shown  by  the  figures.  The  drawings  together  with  the 
accompanying  analyses  were  kindly  loaned  us  by  Mr.  John  Cole.. 

The  lake  examined  closely  on  the  side  toward  the  town  shows 
marl  shores  covered  partly  with  sand.  The  shallows  which  are 
very  extensive  extend  out  toward  the  center  of  the  lake  as  long, 
parallel  peninsular  shallows.  The  change  from  shallows  to  deep 
water  is  very  abrupt,  even  between  the  peninsulas.  These  abrupt 
changes  are  very  similar  to  those  at  Cloverdale.  The  soundings 
in  this  lake  show  the  shallow  marl  toward  deep  water.  Soundings 
of  eighteen  and  twenty  feet  are  found  toward  the  center  as  con- 
trasted with  thirty-four  feet  at  the  inside  edge.  There  is  a blind  is- 
land in  the  center  of  the  lake  which  brings  within  reach  much  valu- 
able marl. 

The  peninsulas  above  mentioned  are  covered  with  from  one  to 
three  feet  of  water,  the  marl  has  no  covering  of  organic  matter 
and  supports  a thick  growth  of  the  cylindrical  rush  known  as 
marsh-rice  which  is  so  prevalent  as  to  be  almost  characteristic  of 
marl  beds. 

The  analysis  of  the  sample  of  marl  by  Prof.  Delos  Fall  of  Albion 
was  as  follows: 


Silica  2.28$ 

Aluminum  and  iron  oxide 1.60 

Lime  88.25 

Carbonate  of  magnesium  1.40 

Organic  matter  and  undetermined 6.47 

Carbonate  of  lime  after  the  removal  of  organic 
matter ...: 94.85 


Beneath  this  marl  lies  a blue  clay  which  was  analyzed  to  deter- 
mine whether  it  would  be  of  proper  composition  to  mix  with  clay 
in  the  manufacture  of  cement.  It  was  found  that  the  clay  directly 
underlying  the  marl  contained  over  seven  per  cent  magnesium 
oxide,  which  was  considered  unsafe.  The  startling  fact  from  a 
scientific  point  of  view  is  the  sudden  variation  in  content  of  mag- 
nesia in  the  marl  and  in  the  clay  immediately  beneath  it.  1.40$ 
magnesium  carbonate  equals  .7$  magnesium  oxide  and  the  propor- 
tion of  the  oxide  in  the  marl  to  the  oxide  in  the  clay  beneath  is 
then,  as  .7  to  7.  For  this  reason  either  a totally  different  agent  or 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


137 


the  same  agent,  with  greatly  varying  power,  must  have  controlled 
the  deposit  of  magnesia  in  the  marl  and  that  beneath  it  in  the  clay 
of  Fremont  Lake. 

Mr.  Cole  showed  me  another  clay  from  a different  part  of  the 
country,  which  was  to  take  the  place  of  that  just  mentioned.  It 
appears  as  a dense  blue  shale  and  the  following  is  the  analysis  as 
given  to  me  by  Mr.  Cole  (chemist  not  known) : 


Silica  42.94$  * 

Alumina  (A1203) 12.94 

Oxide  of  iron 5.73 

Calcium  oxide  (CaO) 12.93 

Magnesia  2.97 

Loss  by  ignition  18.94 

Alkalies  (sulphuric  acid,  etc.) 4.07 


There  were  said  to  be  numerous  hard  water  springs  in  the  vicin- 
ity. A drive  well  near  the  station  was  examined  and  showed  very 
hard  water.  A well  bored  near  the  lake  failed  to  strike  anything 
but  marl  till  at  a depth  of  thirty  feet  it  penetrated  a limy  clay. 
The  clays  of  this  region  are  very  calcareous. 

§ 6.  Muskegon  District. 

Bear  Lake  just  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Muskegon  River,  was 
visited  and  probed  for  marl.  It  appeared  after  investigation  that 
Bear  Lake  was  but  the  old  mouth  of  a river.  Muck  and  silt  to  the 
depth  of  35  feet  was  found,  but  no  marl,  excepting  at  one  place. 
Near  its  outlet  was  a streak  of  clay  at  right  angles  to  the  outlet 
and  to  the  mouth  of  the  Muskegon  River.  This  clay  was  found  to 
run  under  the  lake  and  above  it  and  beneath  the  silt  was  a foot  or 
two  of  genuine  marl.  Several  soundings  were  made  at  the  mouth 
of  a creek  emptying  into  the  lake  and  also  in  the  rushes  at  the  head 
of  the  lake.  The  bottom  was  in  every  case  a foundation  of  fine  sand 
covered  by  many  feet  of  silt. 

The  Muskegon  River  flats  were  said  to  contain  marl  and  several 
samples  were  submitted  to  me  by  Prof.  McClouth  of  the  Muskegon 
High  School,  but  nearly  all  of  them  showed  an  intimate  mixture 
of  clay,  sand  or  muck  with  the  marl  demonstrating  nicely  what 
has  usually  appeared,  that  marl  generally  loses  its  individuality 
and  becomes  an  admixture  of  marl  with  sand,  clay  or  muck  in  the 
neighborhood  of  running  water. 

§ 7.  Benzie  County. 

Benzie  County  contains  a number  of  marl  lakes,  several  of  which 
are  drained  by  the  Platte  River. 

18-Pt.  Ill 


138 


MARL. 


Also  a company  was  formed  to  work  the  marl  in  Herring  Lakes, 
five  miles  south  of  Frankfort.  These  two  lakes  are  connected  by 
a stream  which  has  a waterfall  of  15  feet.  This  is  to  be  obviated 
by  cutting  a canal  through  a bend  in  the  creek  partly  draining  the 
upper  lake.  This  lake  contains  a deposit  of  marl  about  30  feet  in 
depth.  It  is  fed  by  numerous  springs,  which  form  a network  of 
creeks.  To  the  east  the  lower  lake  is  very  deep  and  is  connected 
jvith  Lake  Michigan  by  a short  channel  which  is  to  be  deepened 
for  the  entrance  of  large  lake  boats. 

The  bluffs  of  clay  about  Frankfort  were  examined  for  a cement 
clay,  but  none  was  found.  Some  clay  was  quite  free  from  grit,  but 
all  was  highly  calcareous.  On  a farm  north  of  Frankfort  there 
was  a sink  hole,  some  300  feet  from  the  lake.  There  was  no  visible 
drainage,  but  upon  the  bluff  opposite  the  hole  there  was  a seepage 
of  water  from  between  the  clay  and  the  sand  lying  above,  showing 
that  the  water  might  in  part  be  held  in  and  turned  lakeward  by  a 
dense  underlying  stratum  of  clay.  This  may  also  explain  the  drain- 
age of  some  marl  lakes  which  have  perfectly  fresh  water  but  no 
visible  outlet.  Crystal  Lake  was  examined  but  showed  no  signs  of 
marl.  It  had  a very  gradually  increasing  depth  and  pebbly  beach 
like  Lake  Michigan  and  was  unlike  most  marl  lakes  in  formation 
and  slope.  The  Lake  Michigan  bluffs,  which  are  here  very  high 
opposite  the  lake,  suddenly  sink  to  within  15  or  20  feet  of  its  level. 
The  sharp  well-defined  channel  with  abrupt  banks  on  each  side 
seemed  to  show  a former  connection  between  the  two  lakes.  A 
comparative  test  of  hardness  of  water  showed  them  about  alike. 

In  Frankfort  River,  south  of  the  town,  there  is  a large 
elbow  or  basin  formed  by  the  river  bottoms  which  broadens  into  a 
large  marsh  to  the  south.  This  marsh  looks  as  if  it  could  easily 
have  been  a shallow  basin  or  lagoon.  It  is  said  that  several  thou- 
sand acres  are  underlain  with  2 to  3 feet  of  marl.  That  examined 
was  under  2 to  3 feet  of  muck  and  was  very  white. 

§ 8.  Harrietta. 

In  the  trip  from  Frankfort  to  Cadillac  the  clay  banks  of  Harrietta 
were  passed.*  It  was  near  this  point,  the  highest  in  that  part  of 
the  State,  that  marl  was  reported  as  lying  in  a creek  and  upon  its 
banks.  Marl  is  deposited  everywhere  regardless  of  elevation. 

§ 9.  Escanaba. 

The  country  about  Menominee  is  largely  limestone.  A lake  in 
Sec.  6,  T.  24  N.,  R.  26  W.,  is  said  to  be  marly.  No  marl  lakes  were 
popularly  known  around  Escanaba. 


See  Part  I,  p.  53. 


EE  COBB  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  B.  J.  HALE. 


139 


At  Escanaba  a light  prospecting  outfit  was  made  consisting  of 
the  following: 

40  feet  of  f-in.  pipe,  cut  in  4-foot  lengths. 

Couplings  for  the  above. 

lj-in.  common  wood  augur  bit  welded  to  short  piece  of  f-in.  pipe. 

1 alligator  wrench. 

This  could  be  loaded  into  a sack,  strapped  up  and  checked  from 
one  station  to  another. 

It  is  found  that  for  soundings  in  deep  water  for  marl  J-inch 
pipe  is  the  safest,  although  the  smaller  f-inch  pipe  is  lighter  and 
can  be  raised  or  lowered  in  the  marl  easier,  but  is  liable  to  bend 
out  of  shape  and  tear  out  at  the  couplings. 

A 2-inch  bit  is  a good  medium  size.  A larger  one  requires  too 
much  work  to  raise  it  through  the  marl.  A smaller  one  does  not 
hold  the  marl  in  its  coil.  For  practical  purposes  this  is  the  most 
serviceable  outfit  for  the  average  marls  of  Michigan.  But  in  the 
Upper  Peninsula  marl  was  found  too  hard  to  penetrate  by  this 
means  and  in  the  Lower  Peninsula  marl  and  mud  are  sometimes  too 
soft  to  be  held  in  the  worm  of  the  augur.  For  all  round  sampling 
we  find  the  outfit  at  Cloverdale  very  good  though  bulky.  At  Little 
Lake,  the  junction  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  and  the  Mun- 
ising R.  R.,  Marquette  County,  Upper  Peninsula,  several  lakes  were 
examined.  Their  water  showed  in  comparison  as  2.7  to  11-13  as 
contrasted  with  that  of  Lake  Michigan.  This  was  quite  soft  and 
bore  out  the  result  of  investigations  at  Cloverdale.  The  lakes  were 
in  a low,  level  country  themselves,  had  very  low  banks,  and  noth- 
ing but  seepage  springs.  Upon  sounding  they  gave  depths  of 
marsh  silt  varying  from  12  to  25  feet  upon  a fine  sand  and  gravel 
bottom. 

§ 10.  Munising. 

At  Munising  no  marl  lake  was  found  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
I was  informed  by  the  superintendent  of  the  road  of  a marl  lake 
once  discovered  in  sinking  a shaft.  The  boring  was  carried  through 
20  or  30  feet  of  muck,  when  the  drills  passed  through  about  30  feet 
of  marl  and  then  into  sand  and  rock  again.  The  well  filled  and  the 
liquid  marl  was  pumped  up  as  it  constantly  filled  the  hole  and 
prevented  progress.  Finally  the  upper  layer  of  denser  muck  sank 
like  a flap  till  it  shut  out  the  liquid  marl  and  the  boring  was  com- 
pleted, no  ore  being  found. 

§ 11.  Wetmore. 

At  this  village  there  was  a large  creek  fed  by  a mass  of  boiling 


140 


MARL. 


springs  in  its  bottom.  This  bottom  consisted  of  a very  dense  white 
marl  covered  by  a few  inches  of  silt.  When  the  augur  penetrated 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  and  was  pulled  out  with  a specimen,  a 
new  spring  boiled  up  in  the  puncture  of  the  crust  made.  This 
point  is  near  the  divide  of  the  Upper  Peninsula  upon  the  side  which 
drains  into  Lake  Superior.  The  creek  is  bounded  on  either  side 
by  somewhat  low  hills.  The  marl  obtained  was  half  way  in  con- 
sistency between  marl  and  limestone.  It  was  rather  granular, 
though  the  particles  themselves  examined  under  microscope  cannot 
be  distinguished  from  those  of  dried  marl.  The  marl  is  an  almost 
pure  white  and  very  heavy  considering  its  volume  in  comparison 
with  ordinary  marl.  The  creek  is  said  to  drain  several  lakes  nearly 
upon  the  divide. 

§ 12.  Manistique. 

Here  lime  kilns  were  visited.  The  whole  country  is  limestone 
and  there  are  no  lakes  or  flowing  springs  or  wells  in  the  immediate 
vicinity.  The  limestone  itself  is  over  30$  MgCOs  but  burns  well, 
making  a good  lime.  A sample  of  marl  from  a dried  up  lake-bed 
some  30  miles  distant  was  shown  me.  Its  analyses  revealed  95$ 
CaC03  and  it  seemed  one  of  the  purest  samples  seen  in  my  trip, 
being,  with  the  exception  of  a little  darkening  organic  matter,  pure 
white.  The  analyses  showed  but  traces  (slight)  of  MgO  and  this 
too  in  a country  noticeably  abounding  in  magnesian  limestone. 
The  lake-bed  from  which  this  came  showed  a basin-shaped  depres- 
sion of  about  37  acres  filled  with  purest  marl  from  a shore  depth 
of  1 to  2 feet  constantly  increasing  to  a center  depth  of  29  feet. 
This  is  a good  example  of  a completed  lake. 

§ 13.  Corinne. 

A spring  creek  was  examined  and  a small  bottle  of  water  taken.* 
Most  of  the  bottom  of  the  creek  was  underlain  as  at  Wetmore  with 
a very  hard  granular  marl  2 to  3 feet  deep  with  clay  beneath  and 
one  or  two  feet  of  muck  on  top.  There  were  no  indications  that 
this  had  been  a lake  bed  in  very  recent  times,  though  the  ground 
which  formed  a small  swamp  had  very  likely  been  under  water  for 
differing  lengths  of  time.  A lake  about  three  miles  farther  south 
was  visited  and  had  a peculiar  history.  It  was  said  that  it  in- 
creased in  size  during  the  spring  months,  but  in  summer,  July  and 
August,  it  suddenly  disappeared  and  it  was  wondered  if  it  found 
some  crevice  in  the  marl  and  suddenly  emptied  itself.  It  is  prob- 


*Sample  of  water  taken  from  large  spring.  See  (No.  2). 


EE  COED  OF  FIELD  WOEK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


141 


able  that  the  lake  filled  up  from  spring  rains  and  then  gradually 
dried  and  by  summer  it  had  got  so  shallow  that  when  steady  hot 
weather  came  the  thin  sheet  of  water  left  evaporated  quickly  and 
the  shore  line  advanced  very  suddenly.  When  the  lake  was  visited 
in  late  July  it  had  3 or  4 feet  of  water  upon  it  and  was  one  great 
shallow  of  marl  one  mile  or  more  long  and  a quarter  mile  wide. 
The  marl  was  the  purest  seen,  but  was  so  dense  and  granular  that 
the  augur  did  not  penetrate  over  five  feet.  The  marl,  however, 
formed  rather  dense  layers.  As  the  augur  penetrated  it  it  would 
sink  easily  for  a foot  or  two  and  then  strike  an  almost  impenetrable 
layer  which  seemed  like  sand,  but  the  specimen  obtained  would  be 
very  hard  marl.  It  is  probable  that  this  stratified  condition  or 
layering  of  different  density  is  caused  by  the  sudden  drying  and 
baking  given  the  crust  during  the  annual  drying  of  the  lake.  The 
lake  was  in  an  extensive  forest  bottom  and  I was  informed  that  it 
was  fed  only  from  the  surface  waters  which  collected  in  the  wetter 
portions  of  the  year. 

I could  hear  of  no  marl  in  the  region  of  Trout  Lake,  but  near 
St.  Ignace  there  were  deposits  of  marl  and  dolomite.  No  marl 
could  be  located  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mackinaw  City.  Little 
Traverse  Bay  had  marl  underneath  the  sand  as  shown  by  driving 
of  spiles  for  piers. 

At  the  straits  and  for  many  miles  inland  the  immense  area 
covered  by  limestone  scraped  bare  of  glacial  drift  perhaps  shows 
where  the  lime  of  our  marl  once  originated  no  matter  how  subse- 
quently deposited  in  the  lakes.  The  immense  number  of  small, 
smoothly  rounded  limestone  pebbles  show  that  a great  body  of  lime 
must  have  at  one-time  been  washed  away  by  the  action  of  water, 
being  removed  in  the  form  of  either  a fine  sediment  or  a solution. 

§ 14.  Grand  Traverse  region. 

The  district  about  Traverse  City  was  next  visited.  The  marl 
upon  a low  basin  on  the  asylum  grounds  was  examined  and  found 
to  contain  an  underlining  of  marl  about  2 or  3 feet  deep.  Here  it 
became  evident  as  at  Frankfort  that  an  originally  greater  depth 
of  water  lying  over  the  marl  did  not  imply  a greater  depth  of  marl, 
but  rather  the  opposite.  This  is  considering  the  water  level  of 
Michigan  as  a whole.  This,  together  with  the  thin  bed  at  Frank- 
fort and  others  very  near  the  water  level  of  Lake  Michigan,  showed 
unusual  thinness.  In  this  case  a large  basin  had  been  grown  over 
with  muck  and  covered  with  debris  to  the  depth  of  4 to  5 feet  and 


142 


MARL. 


only  showed  where  a large  ditch  had  been  dug.  The  marl  was  very 
hard  and  dense,  very  white. 

The  lakes  about  Interlochen  were  next  visited.  Duck  Lake 
had  been  dammed  to  allow  the  floating  of  logs  so  that  the  marl 
being  under  greater  depth  of  water  was  more  difficult  to  examine. 
The  effects  of  sand  washing  over  the  marl  were  very  noticeable  in 
this  lake,  probably  on  account  of  the  increase  of  water  depth.  No 
marl  was  found  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  opening  of  any 
spring  or  creek  into  the  lakes.  In  the  bay  or  lagoon  on  the  east 
side,  made  by  the  peninsula,  water  and  marl  were  shallow  enough 
to  permit  of  sounding  with  the  result  of  a gradual  increase  in  depth 
of  marl  from  shore  to  center.  (Fig.  9.)  Hard  sand  prevented  a like 
test  upon  the  opposite  shore.  The  marl  was  in  no  case  exposed 
close  to  shore  excepting  on  the  shore  of  the  peninsula,  which  was 
very  low  and  overgrown  with  trees  and  may  have  been  but  recently 
lake  bottom,  though  upturned  stumps  showed  no  traces  of  marl. 
Upon  the  point  itself  there  was  a shallow  coating  of  marl  which 
increased  but  slowly  at  greater  depths  of  water.  The  deep  marl 


extended  to  a greater  depth  than  20  feet  of  sounding  pipes  and  lay 
to  the  east  of  the  peninsula  where  it  joined  mainland.  Upon  the 
west  shore  of  the  lake  there  was  a coating  of  sand  with  no  marl  in 
or  ftbout  the  outlet.  There  is  marl  in  the  deepest  parts  of  the  lake. 
Lake  rice  reeds  in  6 feet  of  water  were  coated  with  marl  deposit. 
No  Characeae  were  visible.  This  was  long  known  by  the  logging 
men,  who  in  raising  the  weights  let  down  to  pull  rafts,  brought  to 
the  surface  the  gray  mud.  In  general  this  lake  as  viewed  seems  to 
be  a very  marked  case  of  the  washing  of  sand  from  shores  onto 
marl.  The  marl  was  undisturbed,  was  at  the  center  and  upon  the 
peninsula  where  it  thinned  toward  shore. 

The  lake  opposite  Duck  Lake,  into  which  Duck  Lake  emptied, 
showed  nothing  but  sand,  shallow  sand  shores  and  seepage  springs. 

§ 15.  Central  Lake. 

Central  Lake,  also  called  the  Intermediate  Lake,  being  one  of 
a series  or  chain,  extends  for  some  distance  along  the  coast  and 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


143 


very  nearly  at  a level  with  Lake  Michigan.  The  bold  terraced 
shores  and  the  sharply  contoured  hills  that  run  down  at  right 
angles  to  the  course  of  the  lake  are  very  striking  to  the  eye.  These 
contain  a mixture  of  every  kind  of  soil  from  pebble  to  fine  clay. 
The  lake  itself  can  scarcely  be  called  more  than  a river,  though  the 
ratio  of  fall  is  so  slight  that  it  has  no  perceptible  current.  Below 
the  village  of  Central  Lake  sand  is  in  some  cases  washed  over  the 
marl.  But  its  presence  underneath  the  lowland  was  shown  in  a 
startling  manner.  It  was  desired  to  raise  the  bed  of  the  railroad 
which  passed  within  30  or  40  feet  of  the  water’s  edge,  and  to  do 
this  a heavy  grading  of  sand  and  gravel  was  loaded  into  the  low- 
land. One  night  this  suddenly  sank  with  the  land  supporting  it 
about  20  feet.  There  is  no  doubt  the  semi-liquid  marl  beneath 
the  lowland  was  forced  by  the  greatly  increased  weight  of  the 
grading  out  into  the  lake,  when  the  land  above  with  railroad  and 
all  sank  to  solid  bottom. 

The  lake  was  examined  mostly  about  midway  and  from  there 
to  the  south  end.  The  first  series  of  soundings  was  made  on  the 


Fig.  10.  Central  Lake,  Antrim  County.  See  also  Plate  I. 

east  side,  out  a hundred  feet  in  shallow  water,  from  a steam  launch 
and  from  there  in,  and  then  along  a slight  creek  about  200  feet  in. 
The  accompanying  diagram  (Fig.  10)  will  show  relation  of  water, 
marl  and  land  level.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  large  woods  which 
had  but  a few  inches  of  muck  covering  gave  a very  steady  depth  of 
marl.  This  marl  while  it  contained  no  real  sand  or  grit  was  very 
intensely  granular  and  of  a very  brownish  tinge.  I should  say  that 
it  had  little  organic  matter,  much  iron  and  was  decidedly  differ- 
ent in  grain  from  that  usually  met. 

The  marl  also  showed  well  at  points  and  beyond  one  of  these  to 
the  south  we  examined  the  marl  islands  in  the  south  lobe  of  the 
lake. 

These  are  very  interesting  as  they  are  islands  of  solid  marl 
nearly  in  a center  line  and  about  \ mile  apart. 


144 


MARL. 


North  Island*  is  very  small,  has  upon  it  but  few  trees,  is  30  or  40 
feet  long,  20  feet  wide,  and  has  its  longest  axis  from  east  to  west. 

Soundings  were  made  first  from  the  south,  approaching  from  the 
median  line  of  the  lake  to  the  small  strip  of  dry  land  forming  North 
Island.  The  following  is  a table  of  soundings  on  and  about  North 
Island  (see  Fig.  11  and  Diagrams  11,  11 A and  11B  of  Plate  I)  : 


Fig.  11.  Section  across  North  Island,  Central  Lake.  See  also  Plate  I. 


No.  of  sounding. 

Depth  of  water. 

Depth  of  marl. 

Location. 

1 

5 

5 

50  ft.  S. 

2 

2 

14 

40  ft.  S. 

3 

2 

14 

30  ft.  S. 

4 

6 in. 

17 

10  ft.  S. 

5 

Dry  land 

19 

On  S.  shore. 

6 

Water’s  edge.. 
Dry  land 

20 

North  shore. 

7 

21 

East  end. 

8 

Dry  land 

2l 

W est  end. 

9 

Water,  4 ft 

15 

25  ft.  N. 

The  regularity  of  increase  and  decrease  in  depth  of  marl,  the 
steady  variation  in  the  relation  of  true  bottom,  marl,  and  water 
depths,  is  very  striking  and  has  been  met  with  in  but  few  other 
lakes. 

The  island  was  about  40  feet  long  by  10  feet  wide  at  the  center 
and  was  oval  shaped.  A shallow  of  weeds  extended  north  and 
south  about  50  feet  at  right  angles  to  the  greatest  length  of  the 
island,  making  an  oval-shaped  island,  surrounded  by  an  oval-shaped 
belt  of  shallows,  the  ovals  being  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  The 
island  itself  was  barely  above  the  water’s  edge  and  was  solid  marl 
except  for  an  inch  or  two  of  loam  on  top.  Several  trees  grew  on 
the  dry  ground  which  could  be  crossed  easily  on  foot  as  the  marl 
island  seemed  quite  solid,  which  is  not  usual  with  marsh  islands 
of  this  kind. 

Upon  the  shores,  especially  the  north  shore,  the  light  shells  had 
been  sifted  at  the  water  line  by  the  action  of  the  waves,  so  that  the 


*See  Plate  I,  Diagram  11B. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  BALE. 


145 


shore  was  a mass  of  shells  of  all  sizes  from  a pin-head  to  an  inch  in 
diameter,  and  also  intermixed  with  the  shells  were  pebbly  accre- 
tions something  like  those  forming  the  coarse  grained  marl  be- 
neath the  woods  to  the  north,  before  mentioned. 

Here  it  is  very  easy  to  see  how  shells  could  be  broken  into  fine 
particles  and  merge  with  a bed  of  marl,  losing  their  former  identity. 
Several  large  clam  shells  were  noticed  lying  just  under  the  water’s 
surface,  upon  the  marl.  These  crumbled  when  grasped  between 
the  fingers  though  they  had  once  been  very  strong  hard  shells.  It 
is  very  easy  to  see  that  if  this  is  the  condition  of  a large  clam  shell, 


Fig.  12  Section  across  South  Island,  Central  Lake. 


the  more  delicate  shells  would  be  crushed  by  a much  smaller  pres- 
sure. 

South  Island, — considerably  larger  and  lying  J mile  south — was 
next  examined. 

It  was  one  or  two  hundred  feet  long,  oval-shaped  and  with  its 
axis  north  to  south,  or  at  right  angles  to  that  of  North  Island,  but 
in  a line  with  the  axis  of  the  shallows  of  North  Island.  From  the 
south  end  of  South  Island,  shallows  run  to  the  south  end  of  the 
lake.  These  shallows,  the  deeper  channels  on  each  side  and  the 
approaches  to  South  Island  on  all  sides,  are  all  solid  marl  of  fair 
quality  with  no  surfacing  of  muck  or  silt  whatever. 

The  soundings  taken  about  South  Island  and  on  to  the  south 
end  of  the  lake  are  as  follows: 


Depth  of  water. 

Depth  of  marl. 

Location. 

1 

9 

Close  on  S.  E.  shore  S.  Is. 

1 

19 

10  ft.  S.  No.  1.  Away  from  shore. 

2 

19 

10  ft.  S.  E.  No.  2. 

2 

22 

70  ft.  S.  E.  of  3. 

5 ft. 

20 

Mid-channel  S.  E.  of  lake. 

1 

27 

At  extreme  S.  end  of  lake. 

3 

21 

West  side  of  island. 

Light  muck  2 in. 

21 

Center  of  South  Is. 

19-Pt.  Ill 


146 


MARL. 


By  consulting  this  table  and  the  figure  (12)  accompanying  it,  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  outcropping  of  the  island  of  marl  is  produced 
not  by  an  added  depth  of  marl,  but  by  a rise  in  the  true  sand  bot- 
tom of  the  lake.  This  rise  in  level  is  sharp  but  uniform,  the  depth 
of  marl  being  greater  if  anything  away  from  the  island.  It  helps 
to  solve  no  problem  concerning  the  formation  of  marl  excepting  to 
show  that  the  marl  behaves  like  any  thick  layer  either  of  chemical 
deposit  or  sediment.  It  lies  like  a thick  sheet  over  projections  such 
as  this,  making  them  less  pronounced  than  they  would  be  without 
the  covering. 

Also  notice  that  the  soundings  of  South  Island  are  deeper  than 
those  of  North  Island,  not  on  the  island,  but  immediately  around  it. 
The  island  is  larger  and  judging  from  the  size  of  the  trees  and  thick- 
ness of  the  muck,  has  been  first  exposed  by  the  slowly  receding  waters 
and  has  probably  had  somewhat  more  of  the  marl  washed  off  of  the 
higher  parts  on  account  of  its  longer  exposure  to  wave  action  of 
the  lake  and  leveling  influence  of  water.  The  two  series  of  sound- 
ings show  a gradual  increase  of  depth  of  marl  from  the  north  to 
the  south  end  of  the  lake,  where  in  tall  pipe-stem  reeds  and  one  foot 
of  water,  the  deepest  sounding  of  marl  (27  feet)  in  the  lake  was 
made.  These  two  series  as  compared  with  that  made  in  the  woods 
and  immediately  west  are  deeper  and  show  a whiter,  more  finely 
divided  marl  toward  the  south  wher°  in  the  deeper  parts  it  loses 
almost  entirely  its  granular  character  am*  brownish  trace  of  oxides 
of  iron. 

The  north  end  of  the  lake  a mile  and  a half  or  more  north  of 
Central  Lake  was  visited  and  a brief  attempt  made  to  examine  the 
conditions  there.  They  were  strikingly  different.  While  at  the 
south  end  there  was  no  sign  of  muck  or  any  organic  covering,  here 
there  was  found  everywhere  2 to  8 feet  of  very  fine  river  silt.  Be- 
neath this  was  6 to  10  feet  of  marl,  the  deepest  having  a bluish 
tinge. 

The  striking  features  of  the  lake  were  the  granular  appearance 
of  a few  beds,  the  gradual  change  in  depth  of  marl  and  lack  of 
sudden  irregularities  in  bottom.  Perhaps  the  whole  can  be  traced 
to  the  slight  fall  of  level  of  the  lake,  there  never  having  been  any 
current  to  disturb  the  original  bottom  of  the  marl  deposited  upon 
it.  There  is  but  3 feet  fall  in  eight  miles  in  this  chain  of  lakes. 

There  are  many  good  springs  of  hard  watOr  flowing  into  the  lake. 
The  samples,  8 to  11  inclusive,  represent  the  waters  of  this  region 
(p.  46). 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


147 


A mound  spring  examined,  of  which  there  are  said  to  be  several, 
is  very  peculiar,  seeming  to  be  formed  by  the  water  issuing  from  a 
side  hill  with  a sloping  clay  bank,  down  which  the  water  finds  its 
way  to  pile  up  for  itself  a mound,  and  to  boil  from  the  top  of  this. 
The  mound,  four  or  five  feet  high  by  six  broad,  consisted  to  the 
depth  sounded,  about  10  feet,  of  a sandy  bog  iron  ore  mixed  with 
clay  below,  making  it  withstand  the  seepage  of  water,  and  above 
with  muck.  The  water  itself  carried  up  with  it  as  a fine  sediment  a 
marly  clay.  (See  Analysis  28,  page  21.) 

This  mound  spring  may  be  of  interest  perhaps  as  showing  what 
a limy  water  will  form  upon  being  stopped  and  allowing  to  deposit 
upon  issuing  from  a spring.  No  pure  marl  was  found  in  the  vicin- 
ity. A very  interesting  fact  was  its  absence. 

The  clays  of  the  vicinity  were  next  examined. 

The  hills  west  of  the  town  were  in  some  cases  strewed  with 
glacial  boulders  and  were  more  largely  of  sand  and  gravel  than 
those  on  the  east.  On  the  east  side  was  a brickyard  that  showed 
very  nicely  the  thorough  mixture  that  the  clays  of  the  vicinity  had 
undergone.  The  clay  as  dug  for  use  was  somewhat  moist  and 
capable  of  being  picked.  A lump  upon  drying  and  examination 
showed  a very  fine  grain,  and  was  full  of  carbonates.  On  slicing  a 
section  of  clay  the  different  color  of  the  fine  layers  gave  it  a highly 
streaked  or  stratified  appearance,  and  these  layers  were  rumpled 
and  bent  almost  like  the  grain  of  curly  maple,  showing  that  the  bed 
must  have  undergone  great  disturbance  after  being  laid  down.  An 
inspection  of  the  whole  cut  showed  an  upper  layer  of  sand,  a fine 
much  rumpled  layer  of  fine  dark  clay,  then  beneath  this  a fine  bluish 
sand,  hardly  distinguishable  from  clay  at  first  sight.*  The  whole 
hill  looked  as  if  it  had  been  scraped  together  by  some  great  power, 
and  just  before  the  mixture  of  layers  became  intimate,  and  they 
lost  their  identity,  the  movement  ceased.  This  was  the  one  of  the 
lowest  of  a series  of  low  hills,  the  highest  of  which  was  at  an 
elevation  of  between  100  and  200  feet  above  the  village. 

The  clay  hills  above  Mr.  Crow’s  farm  were  next  visited.  It  was 
found  that  the  clay  anywhere  near  the  level  of  the  lake  showed  a 
strong  heavy  admixture  of  carbonates,  but  the  shales  higher  up  in 
the  hills  were  freer  from  them.  On  the  farm  in  question  clay  en- 

*The  same  contortion  of  the  clay  laminae  may  be  noted  at  Clippert  and  Spauld- 
ing’s yard  in  Lansing  (Part  I,  page  56),  and  at  the  location  described  by  Dr.  C.  H. 
Gordon,  in  the  Annual  Report  for  1902.  It  appears  to  be  due  to  a readvance  of 
the  ice  sheet,  after  the  clay  had  been  laid  down  just  in  front  of  it.  L. 


148 


MABL. 


tirely  free  from  carbonates  was  found,  but  mixed  with  shaly  peb- 
bles, which  were  very  heavy  in  iron  and  somewhat  gritty.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  in  the  hills  about  the  town  a genuine  shale  of  fair 
quality  for  cement  manufacture  could  be  found. 

§ 16.  East  Jordan  and  vicinity. 

The  marl  lying  at  the  head  of  the  south  arm  of  Pine  Lake*  and 
about  the  mouth  of  the  East  Jordan,  in  the  large  valley  once  form- 
ing a continuation  of  the  lake,  was  next  examined.  The  bed  was 
reached  by  steamer  from  Charlevoix.  At  Charlevoix,  where  the 
railroad  crossed  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  marl  was  noticed  nearly 
worn  away  by  washing  of  the  water  and  in  most  cases  buried  by 
sand,  but  is  seen  in  streaks  where  it  is  exposed  on  the  bottom.  Its 
only  significance  is  its  presence  in  this  part  of  the  lake  in  a very 
thin  layer. 

Along  the  shores  of  the  south  arm  of  the  lake  layers  of  marl 
of  a few  feet  in  thickness  were  seen  cropping  out  under  the  banks 
washed  away  sharply  by  the  action  of  the  waves. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  valley  examined  was  very  similar 
to  that  of  Central  Lake.  Sharp  hog-back  ridges  from  high  hills  ran 
down  somewhat  parallel  to  each  other  and  at  right  angles  to  the 
length  of  the  valley,  which  is  clearly  the  result  of  glacial  action. 
A series  of  soundings  were  made  to  determine  the  manner  in  which 
the  marl  was  deposited.  So  far  as  found  the  marl  lay  in  the  form 
of  a basin  showing  2 feet  at  the  edges  to  20  feet  in  the  center,  the 
center  of  the  basin  corresponding  somewhat  to  the  center  of  the 
valley.  Upon  the  whole  the  marl  lacked  the  granular  appearance 
found  at  Central  Lake,  but  was  not  of  as  uniformly  great  thickness 
and  was  covered  with  from  5 to  10  and  15  feet  of  muck  and  swamp 
growth  and  in  most  places  with  heavy  forest  growth  or  its  remains. 

The  disturbing  action  of  a current  of  water  was  here  noticed,  for 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  at  the  head  of  the  lake  the  marl  was 
covered  with  many  feet  of  silt  and  mixed  more  or  less  with  sand. 

As  a rule  the  whole  of  this  bed  was  underlain  with  blue  clay.  A 
large  area  of  land  suitable  for  tillage,  forming  a rather  dry  table- 
land with  the  old  deeper  channel  of  the  lake  surrounding  it,  was 
covered  with  a light  muck,  1 to  3 feet  of  marl  and  then  very  tough 
reddish  or  blue  clay.  In  the  above  instance  if  marl  has  any  value 
as  fertilizer  it  should,  upon  the  admixture  of  muck,  marl  and  clay, 
produce  splendid  crops,  as  was  already  shown  in  one  or  two  in- 


:See  reference  in  Davis’  paper. 


RECOBD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J . HALE. 


149 


stances  where  the  land  was  utilized.  It  is  a significant  fact  worthy 
of  notice  for  its  bearing  upon  the  origin  of  marl  that  these  clays  at 
or  below  the  level  of  marl  beds  are  nearly  always  heavily  impreg- 
nated with  carbonates.  One  sounding  that  showed  well  the  con- 
dition upon  the  table-land  was  as  follows:  One  or  two  inches  of 

surface  soil,  2 feet  marl,  3 feet  tough  red  clay,  15  feet  black  clay, 
water  and  gravel  bottom. 

Upon  the  whole  the  marl  of  this  section  lay  in  a basin  shaped 
depression  nearest  the  water,  but  spread  in  a thin  layer  over  nearly 
the  whole  valley.  It  is  covered  with  forest  or  thick  layers  of  muck 
in  most  instances  and  in  others  mixed  with  the  debris  of  silt  and 
sand  brought  down  by  the  rapidly  flowing  river.  It  is,  therefore, 
scarcely  available  for  cement  manufacture,  but  may  some  day  be 
used  to  mix  with  and  make  more  tillable  the  tough  clays  of  the 
valley. 

The  clays  of  this  region,  however,  were  of  greatest  interest. 
They  were  of  two  somewhat  distinct  types.  Those  before  men- 
tioned were  a fine-grained  sediment  laid  down  at  or  below  the  level 
of  the  marl.  Black,  blue  and  red  were  distinct  colors  noticed. 
They  were  all  very  tough  and  dense.  In  a drive  taken  8 or  10  miles 
south  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  valley  the  clays  of  every  color  and 
condition  from  fresh  sediment  to  a heavy  shale  in  place  were 
examined. 

Those  examined  rather  low  down  the  bluff  nearer  the  valley,, 
always  showed  carbonates  and  more  or  less  admixture  of  grit,  prob- 
ably brought  down  by  water.  As  we  ascended  in  the  cuts,  clay  in 
various  stages  of  weathering  from  an  almost  compact  shale  to  com- 
pletely disintegrated  soil  could  be  seen.  The  color  also  varied, 
being  of  a yellowish  or  greenish  tinge.  These  were  in  a number  of 
places  quite  free  from  carbonates,  but  the  shales  were  always 
coarser  grained  and  would,  while  being  more  compact,  dig  and 
grind  hard. 

Finally  an  old  mine  shaft,  where  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  find 
coal,  was  visited.  A heavy  black,  coarse-grained  shale  had  been 
pierced  by  a shaft  to  a depth  of  75  feet.  The  shale  was  nearly 
like  rick  and  cropped  out  at  the  surface,  breaking  up  and  seaming 
where  exposed  to  the  weather.  It  reminded  me  very  strongly  of 
the  Coldwmter  shale  visited  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State.*  In 
the  seams  the  shale  was  reddened  by  oxidized  iron  and  it  was  said 


*It  is,  however,  the  Devonian  black  shale.  L. 


150 


MARL. 


that  occasionally  pockets  of  iron  pyrites  were  found  in  it,  although 
none  could  be  seen  at  the  time. 

A brickyard  was  then  visited  on  the  east  side  of  town  which  con- 
tained strata  of  different  colored  clay  and  sand,  much  as  at  Central 
Lake,  except  that  the  level  of  the  layers  was  not  disturbed.  All 
this  clay,  however,  showed  the  presence  of  carbonates  in  very  large 
quantity. 

§ 17.  Manistee  Junction. 

Lakes  about  Manistee  Junction  were  next  visited.  This  part  of 
the  country  shows  very  well  the  condition  of  the  lakes  and  the  out- 
line of  country  prevailing  in  a large  part  of  the  marl  districts  of 
the  north  part  of  the  State,  to-wit:  an  almost  level  pine  plain  in 
which  suddenly  occur  drops  below  the  level  of  the  surrounding 
country  without  the  slightest  warning,  much  like  a hole  upon  a 
level  plain. 

A small  lake  was  examined.  This  was  circular  in  form  and  con- 
tained the  deepest  marl  (20  feet)  at  upper  end.  This  marl  was  bare 
of  muck  and  covered  only  by  water.  Upon  the  west  side  a test  was 
made  of  a shelf  like  those  found  in  other  lakes,  these  shelves  prob- 
ably corresponding  to  the  bare  shelves  found  about  Central  Lake 
and  East  Jordan,  which  marked  the  recession  of  the  ice.  Near  the 
shore  were  ten  feet  of  marl  and  shallow  water,  while  out  12  feet 
there  were  12  feet  of  water  and  muck.  At  the  lower  end  the  con- 
ditions were  the  opposite  of  those  at  the  upper.  Here  were  found 
26  feet  of  muck,  beneath  which  were  4 feet  of  marl.  Fine  sand  was 
the  bottom  in  every  case  where  soundings  were  made.  The  quality 
of  marl  was  poor,  being  much  mixed  with  organic  material  and  sand. 
Notice  the  parallel  case  of  Central  Lake  where  silt  and  fine  muck 
deposit  shifted  toward  the  outlet,  marl  being  thinner.  The  water 
of  this  lake  and  others  visited  in  this  vicinity  was  tinged  deep 
brownish  red,  lacking  the  remarkable  clearness  of  most  intensely 
marly  lakes. 

Long  Lake  next  visited  was  cut  deeper  into  the  surrounding 
country.  The  marl  did  not  show  upon  the  water’s  margin  which 
was  of  compact  sand,  but  farther  out,  away  from  the  shore,  was  a 
fair  quality  of  marl  and  a good  extent  of  shallows.  Soundings 
were  not  made  as  no  way  could  be  devised  to  get  upon  the  water. 

Calhoun  Lake  could  not  be  reached  in  its  deep  parts  where  the 
marl,  if  any,  was  located.  A marsh  near  here  drained  by  a creek 
and  practically  dry  showed  good  marl  15  feet  thick,  below  one  foot 
of  muck.  It  was  as  usual  in  the  form  of  a basin.  No  distinctive 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


151 


marks  could  be  found  to  separate  it  from  numerous  marshes  in 
which  marl  has  not  been  found. 

Marl  was  also  reported  in  hills  between  Reed  City  and  Clare. 
This  appeared  to  be  a high  clay  country  and  rolling,  quite  distinct 
from  the  sand  plains. 

§ 18.  Rice  Lake. 

This  lake  is  situated  in  Newaygo  County,  Town  11  North,  Range 
12  West.  The  greater  part  of  the  marl  examined  belongs  to 
Messrs.  John  H.  Kleinheksel,  Henry  Beers,  and  Dr.  M.  Veenboer. 
The  above  map  was  prepared  by  Prof.  Kleinheksel,  who  accom- 
panied me  during  the  survey  of  the  bed. 

The  lake  abruptly  breaks  the  level  of  the  pine  barrens  and  on 
account  of  the  present  condition  of  its  bottom  affords  especial 
advantages  for  the  study  of  its  marl.  From  the  appearance  of  the 
large  lowland  or  marsh  the  water  has  not  for  some  time  occupied 
the  whole  depression  indicated  on  the  map  by  the  double  traced 
outer  line  “A,”  and  a later  limit  is  well  defined  by  the  presence  of 
a thick  growth  of  scrub  oak  which  encloses  the  area  covered  by 
the  recent  lake.  This  older  water  line  is  shown  by  the  outer  single 
line  marked  “B,”  and  the  more  recent  one  by  the  inner  line  “C.” 
Between  these  two  shore  lines,  the  old  and  the  new,  is  found  a con- 
siderable thickness  or  accumulation  of  marl  ranging  from  two  to 
twelve  feet  and  lying  under  an  overgrowth  or  accumulation  of  solid 
land  some  six  or  seven  feet  in  thickness.  This  land  is  covered  as 
before  mentioned  by  a thick  growth  of  scrub  oak. 

By  a system  of  large  ditches  the  lake  is  still  further  drained  till 
it  has  shrunk  within  the  inside  shore  line  to  its  present  limits  as 
marked  on  the  map*  (Fig.  13). 

With  the  above  understanding,  the  first  notable  fact  revealed 
by  the  numerous  and  carefully  located  soundings  is  that  as  far 
as  could  be  discovered,  the  center  of  the  marl  basin  is  not  exactly 
under  the  center  of  the  water  basin,  nor  the  present  lake.  The 
center  of  the  marl  basin  is  very  clearly  shown  to  be  in  the  northeast 
quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  10.  Around  this  deep- 
est portion  the  gradually  decreasing  depths  group  themselves.  The 
sounding  of  twenty  feet  in  the  above-mentioned  section  forbids  an 
increase  of  depth  toward  the  water  as  do  the  soundings  of  twelve 
feet  and  twenty-two  feet  in  the  quarter  section  adjoining  it  on  the 
right.  The  soundings  made  up  the  center  of  the  present  lake  still 

*The  original  U.  S.  Land-office  Survey  in  1838,  was  made  in  January,  and  no  lake 
was  recognized.  The  re-examination  in  1854,  sketched  in  a rather  small  lake.  In 
hardly  any  two  maps  has  the  lake  the  same  shape. 


152 


MAUL. 


further  deny  the  presence  in  mid  lake  of  any  marl  center.  The 
fact  is  then  established  that  in  the  case  of  this  lake  the  greatest 
body  of  marl  does  not  lie  beneath  the  deepest  portions  of  the  lake. 
Furthermore  the  marl  as  sounded  extends  in  its  location  toward 
the  large  north  and  east  lobes  of  the  lake  as  marked  by  the  line  of 
bluffs  forming  the  original  depression. 


The  next  point  of  interest  is  the  rapidity  with  which  the  surface 
has  overgrown  and  sealed  up  the  present  deposit.  This  deposit 
is  covered  by  some  three  to  five  feet  of  tangled  roots  of  marsh 
growth,  forming  a layer  which  jars  for  yards  around  with  the 
weight  of  one’s  tread.  This  growth,  though  light  and  easily  pene- 
trated, is  thick  and  must  have  nearly  all  formed  in  the  few  years 


BE  COED  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


153 


since  the  lake  has  been  drained.  It  leads  us  to  beware  how  we 
judge  of  the  age  of  a marl  bed  or  the  length  of  time  since  it  has 
ceased  depositing  by  the  depth  of  its  covering  or  surface. 

The  material  underlying  the  marl  was  in  all  cases  found  to  be 
a fine  lake  or  quartz  sand,  such  as  has  been  met  with  in  the  major- 
ity of  lake  soundings.  One  peculiar  feature  here  was  that  just  as 
the  augur  passed  from  the  marl  into  the  sand,  it  brought  up  a 
greenish  layer  which  contained  little  sand,  and  was  a grade  be- 
tween organic  matter  and  marl.  This  is  the  foundation  upon 
which  the  marl  started  its  growth,  and  should  be  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance in  the  study  of  the  method  by  which  it  is  laid  down. 

Having  noted  the  surroundings  of  the  marl,  the  final  matter 
of  consideration  is  the  marl  itself.  The  marl  which  was  studied 
most  closely  in  regard  to  quality  was  taken  toward  the  center  of 
the  marl  basin  in  deeper  soundings.  Though  the  examination  care- 
fully covered  two  quarter  sections,  the  quality  of  the  marl  through- 
out remained  surprisingly  uniform.  From  the  accompanying  anal- 
yses by  Prof.  Frank  Kedzie  of  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College, 
and  those  selected  by  Prof.  John  Kleinheksel  and  analyzed  by  Prof. 
Delos  Fall  of  Albion,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  marl  is  rather  high 
in  insoluble  matter  and  low  in  carbonates.  Of  this  insoluble  mat- 
ter a small  and  constant  part  is  quartz  sand  met  with  in  many  marl 
lakes  and  seemingly  independent  of  the  sand  washed  in  by  drainage. 
The  organic  matter  though  high  is  steadier  than  in  most  lakes,  re- 
maining the  same  through  all  the  deep  soundings.  The  analyses 
by  Prof.  Kedzie,  Nos.  1 and  2,  are  at  surface  and  35  feet  deep  respec- 
tively. The  variation  in  organic  matter  and  magnesia  is  slight. 
These  analyses  illustrate  the  fact  that  the  deeper  parts  of  the  bed 
vary  but  slightly,  probably  owing  to  the  distance  from  hills  and 
surface  washings  of  all  kinds. 

Following  are  the  results  of  analyses : 

Agricultural  College,  Nov.  25,  1899. 


No.  1 

Insoluble  matter  6.66 

Oxides  of  iron  and  aluminum 1.34 

Calcium  oxide  (equivalent  to  71 .66$  Ca  C03) ....  40.12 

Magnesium  oxide 1.10 

Carbonic  acid  gas 32.50 

Organic  and  undetermined 18.28 

(Signed)  FRANK  S.  KEDZIE. 

20-Pt.  Ill 


154 


MARL. 


Agricultural  College,  Nov.  14,  1899. 


Insoluble  matter 

Oxides  of  iron  and  aluminum  . . 
Calcium  oxide  (equivalent  to 

carbonate)  

Magnesium  oxide  

Carbonic  acid  gas 

Organic  and  undetermined 

No.  2 

4.36 

2.36 

76.82$  calcium 

43.01 

97 

15.05 

100.00$ 

(Signed)  FRANK  S.  KEDZIE. 

Albion,  Mich.,  June  22,  1900. 
Prof.  J.  Kleinheksel,  Holland,  Mich.: 


No.  3 

No.  4 

Silica,  SiO 

2.84* 

8.67f 

Alumina,  A1203  

2.76 

3.55 

Iron  oxide,  Fe203  

none 

trace. 

Carbonate  of  lime,  CaC03 

79.55 

65.67 

Carbonate  of  magnesium, MgCOs 

none 

none. 

Sulphuric  acid,  as  S03 

3.15 

2.50 

Organic  matter,  etc 

11.70 

19.58 

100.00 

99.97 

DELOS  FALL. 

§ 19.  St.  Joseph  River  and  tributaries. 

In  and  about  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River  there  are  beds 
of  marl.  Very  small  creeks  have  in  the  meadows  surrounding  them, 
small  beds  1 to  3 feet  thick  of  marl.  Hickory  Creek  and  Paw  Paw 
River,  which  has  a large  marsh  near  its  outlet,  have  marl  along 
their  course. 

§ 20.  Onekama. 

Portage  Lake  (Fig.  14),  on  which  is  situated  the  Town  of  Onek- 
ama, is  about  eight  miles  north  of  Manistee  and  opens  by  a short 
but  very  navigable  channel  into  Lake  Michigan.  It  is  surrounded 
by  high  hills  on  all  sides  and  on  account  of  the  deep  depression 
made  by  the  lake  the  springs  which  issue  from  beneath  the  hills 
are  numerous  and  large.  One  spring  contained  a considerable  per- 
centage of  sodium  carbonate,  but  the  marl  in  the  immediate  vicin- 

*This  is.  a marl  containing  over  5#  of  clay  and  running  rather  low  in  carbonate 
of  lime.  After  the  organic  matter  is  excluded  the  percentage  of  carbonate  of 
lime  amounts  to  90.09. 

tThis  is  a sandy  marl.  Excluding  the  organic  matter  there  is  81.65#  of  carbon- 
ate of  lime. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


155 


ity  in  which  the  spring  emptied  showed  no  unusual  trace  of  alkaline 
salts.  This  is  only  another  illustration  of  the  fact  that  the  agency 
at  work  in  the  deposit  of  the  marl  has  a power  of  discrimination, 
refusing  certain  salts  from  the  water  and  depositing  others.  Such 
was  shown  to  be  the  case  of  the  sulphur  and  iron  springs  mentioned 
in  the  description  of  Big  Whitefish  Lake.  Portage  Lake  is  fed 
entirely  by  a network  of  springs  and  spring  creeks  and  the  water  is 
very  clear. 

The  shallows  of  the  lake  are  not  all  marl.  Strips  of  marl  from 
three  to  four  feet  in  thickness  alternate  with  sandy  beach  around 


Fig.  14.  Portage  Lake,  Manistee  County. 


the  whole  lake,  but  the  deepest  marl  and  that  which  engaged  our 
attention  lay  to  the  north  and  northwest  shores  toward  Lake  Mich- 
igan. It  lay  in  a lobe  of  the  smaller  lake  forming  its  northwest 
corner  and  reaching  beyond  the  water  up  to  the  low  sand  hills  bord- 
ering on  the  Great  Lake.  It  is  only  thought  necessary  to  mention 
certain  features  which  will  illustrate  the  general  ideas  already  gath- 
ered as  to  the  location  of  marls. 

As  before  stated  the  deeper  marl  was  confined  to  the  large  lobe 
or  lagoon  of  the  lake.  Lines  of  soundings  were  run  in  different 
directions  and  the  following  conclusions  reached:  The  marl  de- 

creased in  depth  with  increase  in  depth  of  water  toward  the  center 
of  the  lake.  There  was  also  an  increase  of  content  of  organic  mat- 


156 


MARL. 


ter  as  the  center  of  the  lake  was  approached.  In  the  lobe  above 
mentioned,  considered  as  a whole,  the  marl  deepened  rather  evenly 
toward  the  center  of  the  whole  basin.  Here  the  marl  was  21  to  22 
feet  thick  with  little  or  no  surface  covering.  As  the  parallel  lines 
of  soundings  approached  the  borders  of  the  basin  the  depth  of  marl 
decreased  rather  evenly  to  19,  17,  15  and  13  feet.  The  last  named 
depth  remained  nearly  constant  as  far  as  followed  through  the  thick 
undergrowth  to  the  northwest  toward  Lake  Michigan. 

The  marl  on  the  whole  was  little  contaminated  with  foreign 
matter  such  as  sand  and  clay.  There  was  a very  small  content  of 
the  fine  quartz  sand  often  found  in  deposits.  The  ditches  and  small 
creeks  emptying  into  the  lake  over  the  bed  had  carried  down  sand 
which  had  mixed  with  the  marl  in  their  immediate  vicinity.  The 
marl  was  deposited  upon  a fine  pepper  and  salt  sand  which  formed 
the  lake  bottom.  In  the  marl  basin  or  lagoon  before  mentioned 
soundings  revealed  a peculiar  condition.  The  bed  contained  a 
small  layer  of  intervening  organic  matter  alternating  with  the 
marl.  The  material  was  well  preserved  and  seemed  to  consist  of 
driftwood  and  marsh  growth  pressed  firmly  into  a layer  a foot  or 
so  in  thickness.  The  layer  was  about  fifteen  feet  below  the  sur- 
face of  a firm  pure  marl  deposit.*  Its  presence  might  indicate  that 
the  marl  had  ceased  to  deposit  for  a time,  and  with  the  return  of 
favorable  conditions  had  again  deposited,  burying  the  layer  of  drift 
and  marsh  growth  which  had  accumulated. 

A large  part  of  the  lobe  examined  was  not  under  water  at  the 
time.  A part  of  it  had  recently  been  covered  by  water  before  a 
new  outlet  into  Lake  Michigan  had  been  dredged  for  the  lake. 
When  it  was  drained  the  surface  of  the  marl  had  been  left  dry. 
This  left  the  marl  more  or  less  dense  and  dry  and  as  a consequence 
there  was  nothing  but  a slight  growth  of  grass  and  the  consequent 
“surface”  was  only  a few  inches  to  a foot  in  thickness.  This  was  a 
great  contrast  to  Rice  Lake  which  had  been  drained  about  the  same 
length  of  time,  but  was  left  very  wet.  The  marsh  growth  had  be- 
come luxuriant  and  the  “surface”  is  from  three  to  five  feet  of  marsh 
growth.  Beyond  the  dry  portions  of  Portage  Lake  and  forming 
the  fringe  of  real  marsh  was  the  portion  which  had  always  remained 
wet.  Here  the  growth  of  soil  and  roots  reached  five  feet  or  more. 
From  these  comparisons  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  it  is  impossible 


*This  may  indicate  a lower  level  for  Lake  Michigan  at  one  time.  L. 


RECORD  OF  FIELD  WORK  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 


157 


to  judge  tlie  age  of  a marl  bed  from  the  depth  of  surface  growth 
covering  it. 

Sixty-nine  soundings  were  made  varying  from  13  to  22  feet.  The 
bed  covered  about  125  acres,  not  including  a large  area  along  the 
shores  containing  marl  from  seven  to  ten  feet.  The  marl  is  of 
fair  quality  and  its  variation  in  quality  is  shown  by  the  following 


analyses: 

No.  1. 

Si02  2.81 

A1203  and  Fe00,  65 

CaO  as  CaCO,“  (47:89) 85.63 

MgO  as  MgC03  (1.47) 3.08 

Phosphorus 014 

Total  organic  matter 6.96$ 

No.  2. 

Silica  3.64 

Oxides  of  iron  and  aluminum 1.35 

Calcium  oxide 45.37 

Magnesium  oxide  . 63 

Carbon  dioxide 35.86 

Organic  and  undetermined  11.85 


Submitted  by  A.  W.  Farr. 

Samples  No.  3 and  No.  16,  or  Nos.  1 and  2 above,  were  taken  at 
the  respective  depths  of  three  and  sixteen  feet  by  the  owner,  Mr. 
Farr,  and  the  latter  was  evidently  mixed  with  sand  as  a careful 
examination  of  the  whole  basin  showed  no  such  amounts  of  sand, 
the  sand  being  in  all  cases,  excepting  in  the  presence  of  flowing 
water,  fine  quartz  sand  and  in  small  quantity.  The  remaining 
samples  show  a fair  marl  with  no  harmful  compounds  in  propor- 
tions too  large  for  manufacture. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL. 

§ 1.  Introduction. 

The  purpose  of  this  chapter  is  not  to  give  a full  technical  descrip- 
tion of  the  process  of  cement  manufacture.  This  may  be  found  in 
any  one  of  a number  of  large  volumes  written  upon  the  subject.* 

In  a later  chapter,  prospeeti  from  various  cement  plants  in  the 
State  are  cited  and  will  furnish  farther  information.  In  order  to 
connect  these  details  and  to  give  compact  description  of  the 
process  and  to  emphasize  important  points,  this  chapter  is  written. 

§ 2.  Definition  of  terms. 

The  name  “Portland”  was  derived  from  the  name  of  a popular 
building  stone  used  in  England  at  the  time  that  our  present  cement 
was  given  its  name.  The  cement  was  thought  by  some  to  some- 
what resemble  this  natural  rock,  hence  was  named  after  it. 

Portland  cement  is  an  artificial  mixture  of  calcareous  matter 
with  silicious  (generally  clayey)  matter,  which  is  properly  pro- 
portioned and  burned  to  a point  just  short  of  vitrification  or 
melting.  The  resultant  slag  will,  upon  grinding,  set  with  the 
addition  of  water  to  form  a cement. 

Natural  cement  differs  only  from  Portland  cement  in  that  nature 
has  mixed  the  calcareous  and  argillaceous  ingredients  in  nearly 
the  proper  relations. 

Slurry  is  the  properly  ground  and  mixed  clay  and  marl  or  lime- 
stone suspended  in  enough  water  so  that  the  mixture  can  be 
pumped  from  one  reservoir  to  another. 


*See  also  25th  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Geologist  of  Indiana;  22nd  Ann.  Proc. 
Ohio  Soc.  of  Surveyors  and  Civil  Eng.,  p.  18;  21st  Proc.  Indiana  Eng.  Soc.,  several 
papers;  American  Engineering  Practice  in  the  Construction  of  Portland  Cement 
Plants,  by  B.  B.  Lathbury,  1902;  A Rotary  Cement  Kiln  for  use  in  the  Laboratory, 
by  E.  D.  Campbell;  Jour.  Am.  Chem.  Soc.,  March,  1902;  various  papers,  especially 
those  by  the  Newberries  in  the  Cement  and  Engineering  News,  and  other  pamphlets 
issued  by  the  same  press.  Beside  Lathbury  and  Spackman,  Robert  W.  Hunt  & 
Co.,  of  Chicago.  The  Osborn  Co.,  of  Cleveland,  and  Hassan,  Tagge  and  Dean  of 
Detroit,  may  he  mentioned  as  de-ipners  of  cement  nlants.  See  •Us  rep  >rr  bv  Prof. 
I.  C.  Russell  in  the  21st  Annual  Report  of  the  Director  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  159 


The  gradual  perfection  of  Portland  cement  to-day  is  owing 
to  the  application  of  raw  material  and  high  grade  machinery  to 
the  development  of  one  chemical  principle  which  is  and  will  remain 
at  the  foundation  of  the  cement  industry,  that  two  elements  or 
groups,  lime  on  the  one  hand,  and  silica  or  alumina  on  the  other, 
when  properly  proportioned  and  intensely  heated,  have  the  power 
to  combine  with  each  other  and  then  later  with  water  such 
strength  that  after  the  combination  once  occurs,  fire,  water,  acid 
or  salts,  have  little  power  to  disturb  them  or  weaken  their  hold 
upon  each  other.  The  first  group  is  calcareous.  We  see  it  purest 
in  lime  or  calcium  oxide,  in  an  amorphous  rock  as  calcium  carbon- 
ate of  limestone,  as  calcium  carbonate  in  chalk,  and  in  the  purest 
state  as  crystallized  rock  or  marble.  The  second  group  is  silicious. 
This  forms  a large  part  of  the  earth  and  is  found  purest  in  quartz 
sand  and  fire  clay.  When  these  two  groups,  the  calcium  carbonate 
of  the  marl  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  silica  and  alumina  on  the 
other,  are  finely  ground  and  mixed  and  subjected  to  a temperature 
of  between  2,000  and  3,000  degrees  Fahrenheit,  the  calcium  car- 
bonate loses  its  carbon  dioxide  becoming  calcium  oxide  and  the 
silica  becomes  soluble.  When  the  slag  is  ground  to  powder  and 
mixed  with  water  the  nascent  compounds  recombine  to  form  a 
tricalcic  silicate  and  aluminate,  an  insoluble,  non-combustible  rock 
which  becomes  harder  if  anything,  with  age. 

§ 3.  Historical. 

Before  the  discovery  of  the  principles  which  govern  the  setting 
of  cement,  the  Romans  and  they  who  followed  them  used  slaked 
lime  and  a volcanic  dust  called  pozzuolana.  It  contained  the  above 
mentioned  substances  in  the  right  proportions  to  form  a fair 
cement. 

About  the  year  1756,  Smeaton,  an  English  engineer,  made 
experiments  to  find  a mortar  which  could  be  used  under  water  in 
the  construction  of  the  Eddystone  lighthouse.  About  the  year 
1818  Pasley  in  England  and  Vicat  in  France  began  experimenting 
upon  cement  materials  to  ascertain  the  proportions  necessary  to 
produce  an  artificial  cement. 

“In  1824  Joseph  Aspedin,  a bricklayer  of  Leeds,  discovered  and 
patented  a method  of  making  a hydraulic  cement  and  named  it 
‘Portland,’  from  its  fancied  resemblance  in  color  and  texture  to 


160 


MAIiL. 


the  oolitic  limestone  of  the  Island  of  Portland,  well  known  and 
in  great  favor  in  England  as  a building  stone.” 

§ 4.  Materials  for  Cement. 

It  will  not  be  of  profit  to  follow  the  development  of  natural 
cements.  They  are  produced  by  grinding  and  burning  a rock  hav- 
ing cement  materials  in  nearly  the  right  proportions  mixed  to  some 
extent  by  nature.  As  the  proportions  always  vary  the  product 
is  more  or  less  unstable,  is  liable  to  crack  and  warp  more  than 
Portland  cement  and  never  stands  as  high  tensile  tests.  It  is 
therefore  untrustworthy  in  those  portions  of  great  engineering 
works  where  great  soundness  and  durability  are  required.  It  is 
produced  more  cheaply  than  the  Portland  cement  and  is  very 
satisfactory  for  low  grades  of  work.  It  is  manufactured  in  large 
quantities  in  the  United  States  and  supplements  largely  the  use  of 
the  more  costly  Portland  cement.  As  the  State  of  Michigan  is 
supplied  with  extensive  deposits  of  marl  and  clay  suitable  to  the 
production  of  the  highest  grade  of  artificial  or  Portland  cement 
it  is  well  to  notice  the  different  ways  in  which  material  and 
machinery  are  manipulated  to  produce  the  same  result. 

It  is  a common  idea  that  but  one  or  two  materials  may  be  used 
for  the  production  of  cement,  but  this  is  erroneous.  Anywhere 
where  lime  and  clay  constituents  can  be  found  sufficiently  near 
each  other  and  pure  enough,  Portland  cement  may  be  manufac- 
tured. In  England,  much  of  the  cement  is  made  from  chalk,  which 
is  a calcareous  formation  similar  in  composition  to  marl,  but  dry, 
and  a dense  blue  clay.  In  the  United  States  chalk  is  used  so  far 
only  at  Yankton,  S.  D.  Limestone  and  clay  are  the  favorite 
materials  in  most  parts  of  the  world  and  it  is  only  within  the  past 
few  years  that  marl  and  clay  as  raw  materials  have  come  into  any 
great  prominence. 

Several  methods  of  burning  and  mixing  the  raw  materials  are 
used  in  Europe  and  the  United  States,  adapting  themselves  some- 
what to  the  nature  of  the  raw  materials  used. 

In  England,  in  the  Medway  district  on  the  Thames,  marl  and 
clay  are  ground  and  mixed  with  120  per  cent  to  140  per  cent  of 
water.  The  finer  particles  are  then  flushed  off  by  water  passed  into 
“settle  backs,”  where  the  mud  settles  and  the  clear  water  is  drawn 
off.  When  this  sediment  has  dried  to  the  consistency  of  a paste, 
it  is  gathered  up  and  deposited  on  floors  where  it  is  dried  still 
more  rapidly  by  waste  heat  from  the  kilns.  It  is  then  mixed  with 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 


general  exterior  view  of  an  eleven  kiln  plant. 


MANUFACTUBE  OF  POBTLAND  CEMENT  FBOM  MABL.  161 


charcoal  and  burned  in  kilns.  The  remarkable  feature  about  this 
method  is  the  thorough  manner  of  mixing.  It  is  the  most  thorough 
method  known  as  the  particles  of  clay  and  calcium  carbonate  are 
suspended  together  in  water  and  allowed  to  settle  somewhat  as 
in  a natural  sedimentary  deposit.  It  requires  a month  to  dry  the 
material,  and  the  method  is  therefore  too  costly  in  time  and  is 
giving  way  to  more  rapid  methods. 

Mixing  by  the  semi-wet  process  is  probably  most  widely  used 
throughout  the  world.  When  limestone  and  clay  are  used  they 
are  mixed  with  about  30  per  cent  or  40  per  cent  water,  by  means  of 
sludge  mills  or  similar  contrivances.  The  mixture  is  then  ground, 
passed  to  a drying  floor,  subjected  to  waste  heat  from  kilns  and 
burned  as  before.  The  mechanical  mixture  of  the  particles  is  not  as 
perfect  as  in  the  first  method  but  the  drying  occupies  but  20  hours. 

Sometimes  the  materials  are  mixed  nearly  dry  and  formed  into 
bricks  which  are  burned  as  before,  with  coke  in  a kiln.  This  is 
done  in  the  dome  kiln  or  dry  method,  which  has  been  used  to  some 
extent  in  our  own  State  at  Union  City  and  Kalamazoo,  and  will  be 
described  later. 

The  method  of  burning  differs  somewhat.  Where  a dome  kiln 
is  used  the  layers  of  mixed  cement  material  alternate  with  layers 
of  charcoal.  In  the  continuous  kiln,  charcoal  and  unburned  and 
partly  dried  cement  materials  are  fed  in  at  the  same  time  at  the 
top  and  the  whole  ignited  at  the  bottom.  The  portion  of  heat  not 
used  in  burning  the  cement  at  the  bottom  escapes  upward  and 
helps  to  raise  the  temperature  of  the  half  wet  material  above.  In 
this  way  much  more  heat  is  said  to  be  saved  than  in  the  dome  and 
rotary  kiln  process. 

Cement  could  be  manufactured  using  sand  to  furnish  the 
silicious  elements  instead  of  clay.  Briquettes  of  cement  made  in 
this  manner  seem  to  have  stood  very  good  tests.  Yet  in  practice, 
sand  in  any  form  is  dreaded  in  cement  manufacture,  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  so  expensive  to  grind  it  to  a sufficient  degree  of  fineness 
for  the  purpose.  The  clay*  is  preferred  instead  because  it  is  divided 
much  more  finely  than  sand,  being  already  ground  on  account  of 
the  breaking  down  processes  of  nature. 

It  can  be  readily  seen  that  the  materials  used  and  the  processes 
relied  upon  vary  widely  in  different  districts  although  the  finished 

*What  is  commonly  known  as  clay  is  often  very  largely  only  extremely  fine 
particles  of  quartz,  mineralogically  the  same  as  common  sand.  L. 

21-Pt.  Ill 


162 


3IABL. 


product  must  be  almost  the  same  in  all  cases,  as  Portland  cement 
has  a narrow  range  of  standard  composition,  which  must  be 
approximated  in  all  methods  of  manufacture.  The  process  used  in 
Michigan  depends  mostly  upon  the  materials  at  hand.  The  silic- 
ious  element  used  is  either  a surface  sedimentary,  or  a shale  clay, 
depending  upon  which  one  having  the  best  composition  is  at  hand. 
The  method  of  burning  in  nearly  all  cases  is  the  rotary  kiln  pro- 
cess. There  are  few  lakes  or  marshes  that  can  be  sufficiently 
drained  so  that  the  marl  can  be  treated  by  the  dry  or  semi-wet 
process  and  for  this  reason  a more  detailed  description  of  the 
rotary  or  wet  process  will  be  given.  From  the  foregoing  it  must 
be  clearly  understood  that  the  factories  of  Michigan  have  not  only 
to  compete  with  those  using  their  own  process,  but  also  with  the 
remainder  of  the  manufacturies  by  the  limestone  process,  which 
alone  furnishes  more  than  half  the  cement  produced  in  the  United 
States.  It  must  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  40  to  60  per  cent 
of  the  marl  is  water  and  nearly  a half  of  the  remainder  carbon 
dioxide,  a gas  which  is  driven  off  in  burning.  The  cost  of  handling 
and  drying  this  great  bulk  of  material  must  never  exceed  the  cost 
of  quarrying  and  grinding  the  limestone.  When  this  happens, 
Michigan  factories  will  be  undersold  by  those  of  the  limestone 
district.  Besides  this  competitor  there  is  the  natural  cement.  This 
will  take  the  place  of  Portland  cement  in  many  cases  where  the 
price  of  the  better  cement  rises  too  high. 

§ 5.  Kiln  process  of  cement  manufacture. 

The  two  methods  so  far  employed  in  this  State  are  the  dome 
kiln  and  the  rotary  process.  The  former  of  these  two  processes 
is  fast  going  out  of  use  in  this  part  of  the  country  as  it  does  not 
seem  to  fit  the  materials  used  as  well  as  the  rotary  process.  In 
1872  a plant  of  this  kind,  the  first  cement  plant  in  Michigan,  was 
started  at  Kalamazoo.  The  marl  beds  which  were  used  are 
described  in  Chapter  VI.  Another  plant  of  this  kind  is  erected  at 
South  Bend,  Indiana,  but  was  not  in  operation  when  visited. 
The  process  which  was  employed  at  Union  City,  Michigan  (See 
Plate  III),  may  be  briefly  described,  as  follows: 

The  marl  was  scooped  up  wret  from  the  marsh  and  is  thoroughly 
mixed  with  dry  clay.  The  mixture,  now  of  a doughy  consistency, 
is  pressed  through  a square  orifice  and  is  cut  about  the  form  and 
size  of  building  bricks.  These  marl  clay  bricks  are  laid  on  flooring 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  163 


of  T rails  to  thoroughly  dry,  when  they  are  then  ready  for  the 
burning,  which  is  accomplished  by  kilns. 

A kiln  resembles  a mammoth  hollow  cigar,  cut  off  at  both  ends. 
It  is  built  of  fire-brick,  and  is  about  forty  feet  high  by  eight  to 
ten  feet  in  diameter.  Beneath  is  a fireplace  of  about  five  feet  to 
furnish  a thorough  circulation  of  air. 

At  the  base  of  the  kiln,  above  the  open  air  space,  an  arched 
layer  of  these  bricks  is  packed,  a layer  of  lumps  of  charcoal,  then 
another  layer  of  bricks  till  the  kiln  is  one-third  or  one-half  full. 
The  mass  is  then  fired,  and  burns  for  about  forty-eight  hours;  the 
bricks  fuse  into  lumps  of  heavy,  black  slag,  perforated  by  the  exit 
of  the  carbon  dioxide,  which  is  expelled  by  the  fierce  heat.  The 
whole  mass  shrinks  and  collapses  and  cools,  and  is  then  raked  out. 
Then  the  slag  is  sorted  by  hand  into  two  grades  of  cement,  and  is 
ground  by  mills  into  fine,  dark  brown  powder  which  we  know  as 
Portland  cement.  This  is  an  extensive  process,  requiring  large 
buildings  for  drying,  many  kilns  for  burning  ( for  a kiln  burns  only 
seventy-five  barrels  at  a time ) and  many  men  to  transfer  and 
sort. 

This  process  is  not  as  exact  as  it  should  be.  Part  of  the  bricks 
are  overburned  and  part  underburned  and  must  be  sorted  by  hand, 
requiring  great  expense  in  time  and  labor.  It  has  been  displaced 
at  Union  City  by  the  rotary  process,  and  all  the  new  factories  in 
the  State  are  employing  the  latter. 

§ 6.  The  rotary  process. 

The  rotary  process,  in  order  to  be  successful,  should  be  carried 
on  upon  a large  scale.  The  buildings  which  protect  such  a factory 
generally  cover  several  acres  (Plate  IV).  The  prevalence  of  dis- 
astrous fires  which  have  wiped  out  several  large  factories  in  the 
past  year,  causing  great  delay  in  the  work  as  well  as  the  financial 
loss,  should  emphasize  the  construction  of  durable  and  fire-proof 
buildings.  The  latest  are  being  built  largely  of  steel  and  cement. 
The  machinery  is  so  grouped  (Plate  V),  that  the  raw  material  is 
transferred  by  machinery  from  one  step  of  the  process  to  the  next, 
till  it  enters  the  storing  bin  a finished  cement.  The  following  is 
a brief  description  of  the  whole  process,  as  seen  at  Bronson, 
Michigan. 

The  marl  is  scooped  up  by  an  ordinary  dipper  dredge  and  is 
drawn  a few  hundred  feet  to  the  factory  on  small  dump  cars,  where 


164 


MARL. 


it  is  stirred  and  screened  and  then  pumped  into  a large  funnel  to 
measure  it. 

Meanwhile,  the  clay,  which  is  mined  several  miles  away  and 
drawn  to  the  works  by  rail,  is  elevated  to  the  second  story  by 
machinery,  is  weighed  by  the  wheelbarrowful  and  dumped  into  a 
hopper  which  drops  it  to  a cluster  of  revolving  millstones,  which 
at  the  same  time  receives  the  semi-liquid  contents  of  the  huge 
marl  funnel.  When  both  have  been  ground  and  mixed  with  each 
other,  this  mixture  drops  into  a second  reservoir,  where  it  is 
thoroughly  stirred  and  mixed  for  some  time  by  revolving  paddles. 
From  this  reservoir  the  mixture,  now  termed  slurry,  is  pumped 
into  huge  tanks,  where  it  awaits  the  burning  process. 

Grouped  with  each  tank  is  a huge  cylinder  about  40  feet  long 
and  four  or  five  feet  in  diameter.  The  cylinder  lies  with  the  end 
that  is  farthest  from  the  tank  a little  beloAV  the  horizontal.  The  end 
opposite  the  tank  is  closed  by  a cupola. 

The  cold,  wet  slurry  flows  in  at  the  tank  end,  the  whole  cylinder 
revolves,  and  the  liquid  mixture,  caught  on  its  inner  surface,  runs 
slowly  towards  the  cupola  at  the  further  end.  Here  a falling 
stream  of  crude  petroleum  is  ignited  and  blown  by  air  blhsts 
into  the  end  of  the  cylinder.  The  solid  sheet  of  flame  penetrates 
six  or  seven  feet,  being  under  control.  The  slurry,  slowly  approach- 
ing, is  first  dried,  then  heated,  and  by  the  time  it  reaches  the  end 
of  the  cylinder  is  fused  into  liquid  nodules  about  the  size  of  peb- 
bles, and  falls  through  a slit  at  the  base  of  the  cylinder.  Here  it 
is  received  by  an  endless  chain  of  wheeled  trays,  and,  having 
cooled,  is  borne  to  the  mills.  These  mills  are  very  efficient,  grind- 
ing it  to  a powder,  ninety-nine  per  cent  of  which  will  pass  through 
a sieve  with  10,000  meshes  to  the  square  inch.  It  is  then  finished 
cement  and  is  stored  in  bins.  In  this  process,  as  in  the  kiln  pro- 
cess, the  fine  powdering  and  mixing  of  the  crude  material  is  care- 
fully accomplished,  and,  by  burning,  the  carbon  dioxide  is  driven 
off  and  the  mass  thoroughly  fused.  This  process  is  almost  entirely 
accomplished  by  machinery.  The  machinery  is  expensive,  but  only 
requires  the  labor  of  fifty  men  to  run  the  whole  plant. 

It  is  economical,  as  the  burning  is  performed  with  exactness, 
and  there  is  no  charcoal  to  fuse  with,  and  impair  the  strength  of, 
the  cement,  nor  is  any  hand  sorting  necessary. 

In  the  latter  case  the  quality  of  the  cement  and  cheapness  of 
manufacture  is  unrivaled. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  165 


§ 7.  Preliminaries. 

1.  Digging.  The  raw  material,  marl,  is  in  nearly  all  cases  found 
in  a lake  or  a swamp  or  both.  In  this  condition  it  may  be  covered 
by  a few  inches  to  several  feet  of  water,  may  be  bare,  or  be  covered 
with  a surface  of  grass  or  rushes  which  must  be  “stripped”  before 
the  marl  can  be  dug. 

In  many  parts  of  the  State  there  are  extensive  marshes  covered 
with  a growth  of  timber  which  must  be  cleared  and  grubbed  before 
the  marl  becomes  available.  In  such  cases  it  is  noticed  that 
nearly  all  the  roots  follow  the  moist  surface  of  upper  soil  which 
has  been  deposited  on  the  marl,  and  do  not  penetrate  deeply. 
This  renders  clearing  much  less  expensive-  and  the  clearing  can 
nearly  all  be  done  by  burning.  It  is  best  in  selecting  sites  for 
factories  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  the  marl  lands  covered  with 
a thick  surface  of  swamp  growth  or  forest.  There  is  much  marl 
land  available  in  the  State  that  does  not  require  expensive  sur- 
facing, which  should  be  chosen  in  preference  to  the  less  available 
territory. 

The  content  of  moisture  will  often  vary  much  according  to  the 
position  of  the  marl  below  or  above  the  water  line  of  the  lake  or 
marsh.  In  the  same  lake  basin  there  may  be  marl  in  mid-lake 
containing  60  per  cent  to  75  per  cent  moisture,  and  at  the  same  time 
marl  on  higher  marsh  land  at  the  sides,  which  will  not  contain  over 
25  per  cent. 

The  expense  of  surfacing  is  of  course  somewhat  governed  by  the 
thickness  of  the  bed  and  the  depth  to  which  it  may  be  dug  or 
dredged.  A bed  ten  feet  thick  will  be  much  more  wasteful  in 
digging  than  one  thirty  feet  thick,  for  in  each  case  the  surface 
soil  or  growth  is  mixed  with  the  marl  in  dredging,  and  must  be 
burned  out  in  the  rotaries,  involving  cost  of  fuel  in  drying  and 
time  in  handling  the  surface  material,  which  is  in  the  end  burned, 
forming  only  an  ash.  Not  only  is  there  expense  in  handling  and 
burning  the  material  that  becomes  mixed  with  the  marl  from  the 
surface,  but  also  there  must  be  a certain  margin  or  remainder  of 
the  marl  at  the  bottom  of  the  bed  which  cannot  be  dredged  on 
account  of  admixture  with  sand  or  unsuitable  clay,  of  which  the 
true  bottom  may  be  composed.  It  can  then  be  easily  seen  that 
there  is  a greater  proportion  of  the  marl  in  a thick  bed,  available 
for  use,  than  there  is  in  a thin  deposit,  for  the  waste  must  be  the 
same  in  both  cases.  With  the  present  large  supply  of  deep  beds 


166 


MAUL. 


the  shallow  deposits  will  not  be  immediately  used.  If  there  are 
but  a few  inches  of  grass  and  loam  above  the  marl,  no  appreciable 
cost  will  be  incurred,  excepting  to  increase  the  organic  content 
of  the  upper  scoopings  of  the  dredge.  If  there  are  several  feet  of 
dense  marsh  growth,  sometimes  as  high  as  six,  it  may  cost  $75  an 
acre  for  surfacing, — quite  a handicap. 

2.  Draining.  In  many  lakes  it  is  found  expedient  to  drain  by 
a short  channel  and  thereby  lower  the  water  level,  bringing  the 
deeper  parts  of  the  lake  within  working  depth  of  the  dredge. 
Not  every  lake  is  located  so  as  to  be  easily  drained.  Also  it  will 
be  found,  if  attempt  is  made  to  so  utilize  marl  that  has  laid  at 
any  great  depth  under  water,  that  the  quality  of  such  marl  will  be 
much  poorer,  being  higher  in  organic  matter  and  lower  in  the 
essential  calcium  carbonate. 

When  the  lake  or  marsh  has  a level  of  several  feet  above  the 
stream  or  lake  which  empties  it,  it  may  be  possible  to  drain  it  so 
that  the  semi-wet  or  even  dry  method  of  mixing  may  be  used.  This 
was  to  have  been  done  at  Watervale  and  was  contemplated  by  the 
Hecla  Cement  Co. 

3.  Dredging.  On  account  of  the  semi-fluid  condition  of  most 
of  the  marl  of  the  State,  and  its  location  partly  in  or  adjacent  to 
water,  the  easiest  method  of  digging  the  marl  has  been  by  the 
ordinary  steam  “dipper”  dredge.  This  is  a barge  or  scow  floating 
on  the  water  and  operating  a large  scoop  or  dipper,  which  can 
work  to  a depth  of  about  twenty-two  feet,  as  was  claimed  at  Bron- 
son. The  rubbish  or  surface  growth  of  a marsh  is  piled  to  one 
side,  and  the  dredge  makes  a channel  for  itself  as  it  digs  the  marl. 
It  can  be  seen  that  this  method  is  best  adapted  to  the  greater  part 
of  the  marl  in  Michigan,  which  lies  either  under  water  in  shallows 
or  flats  or  in  a marsh  which  is  at  or  near  water  level. 

Another  proposed  machine  may  come  into  general  use.  It  is  also 
built  on  a scow  and  consists  of  a movable  crane  carrying  an  end- 
less chain  of  buckets.  This  chain  can  be  lowered  to  greater  depths 
by  the  crane  and  will  perhaps  be  able  to  dredge  to  a depth  of 
thirty  feet,  though,  as  the  quality  of  marl  decreases  and  the 
expense  of  power  in  digging  will  rapidly  increase  with  great 
depths,  it  will  not  be  found  economical  to  dredge  to  the  bottom 
of  deep  beds.  In  many  factories  in  the  State  the  marl  is  dredged 
and  then  piped  to  the*  factory. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  167 


There  is  one  more  method  of  transporting  the  marl.  This  is 
by  digging  or  dredging  and  then  pumping  to  the  factory.*  When 
the  marl  is  pumped  it  must  be  mixed  with  slightly  more  water, 
which  must  in  turn,  be  dried  out  in  burning  in  the  rotary.  The 
increased  expenditure  for  fuel  will  likely  offset  the  cheaper  trans- 
portation. The  pumping  plan  is  only  considered  where  the  marl 
is  adjacent  to  the  factory.  Where  the  marl  is  several  miles  away,f 
a railroad  must,  of  course,  be  employed,  as  hauling  by  wagon 
is  entirely  out  of  the  question  as  being  too  expensive.  Where  it 
is  near,  an  overhead  trolley  bearing  cars  or  a narrow  guage  road, 
in  which  steam  or  horses  are  the  motive  power,  can  be  used. 

Clay  must  be  quarried  or  dug  according  as  it  is  a shale  or  a clay. 
For  quarrying  see  the  account  of  Bronson  in  Part  I,  and  elsewhere  in 
this  report.  Out  of  14  factories  where  the  raw  material  could  be 
located,  all  but  one  had  the  marl  deposit  within  two  or  three  miles 
of,  or  directly  on  the  site  of  the  factory,  while  but  four  had  their 
clay  near  the  factory,  most  of  them  getting  it  long  distances  away, 
in  some  cases  in  Ohio$  or  Indiana.  The  estimated  cost  of  putting 
the  material  at  the  factory  therefore,  varied  from  eight  cents  to 
seventeen  and  one-fifth  cents  per  barrel  of  finished  cement,  being 
greatest  in  the  case  of  the  Hecla  works,  who  were  to  transfer  their 
marl  about  thirty  miles  from  bed  to  factory  site. 

§ 8.  Estimates  on  raw  material. 

One  factory  in  the  State  was  running  about  2,000  pounds  of 
marl  to  the  cubic  yard,  while  it  was  said  to  require  one  and  one- 
half  cubic  yards  of  liquid  marl  to  a barrel  of  cement. 

Now  a barrel  of  Portland  cement  weighs  380  pounds.  An  aver- 
age of  65 $ of  this  is  calcium  oxide;  65$  of  380  equals  247  pounds 
of  calcium  oxide  required  for  a barrel  of  cement. 

Taking  a wet  marl,  which  has  40$  moisture,  and  90.3$  calcium 
carbonate  in  the  dry  residue  the  available  calcium  oxide  would  figure 
as  follows: 

100$  less  40$  equals  60$  dry  matter. 

90.3$  of  60  equals  54.18$  calcium  carbonate. 

100$  calcium  carbonate  less  44$  carbon  dioxide  equals  56$  cal- 
cium oxide. 

56$  of  54.18  equals  30.3$  of  original  weight  as  available  calcium 
oxide. 


*As  at  the  Woodstock  and  other  plants. 

fAs  is  the  case  in  the  Hecla  Plant  at  Bay  City,  30  miles  from  the  bed. 
jMillbury. 


168 


MABL. 


At  the  above  factory  estimate  of  raw  material  1^  cubic  yards  of 
marl  would  weigh: 

1^  times  2,000  equals  3,000  pounds. 

30.3$  of  3,000  equals  909  pounds  available  calcium  oxide,  whereas 
it  really  furnishes  but  the  247  pounds  necessary  for  the  barrel  of 
cement.  This  means  that  the  deposit  which  was  worked  must 
have  had  a higher  content  of  organic  matter  and  moisture  than 
we  have  assumed. 

Notice  the  effect  of  increased  per  cent  of  moisture  and  decreased 
percentage  of  calcium  carbonate  on  the  percentage  of  available 
calcium  oxide.  Take  for  instance  a marl  60$  moisture  and  75$ 
calcium  carbonate. 

100$  less  60$  equals  40$  dry  matter. 

75$  of  40  equals  30  of  original  weight  as  calcium  carbonate. 

56$  of  30  equals  16.8$  of  original  weight  as  available  calcium 
oxide. 

In  this  case  but  16$  of  the  original  weight  of  the  marl  as  dredged 
and  transported  to  the  factory,  contributes  to  the  active  elements 
of  the  cement.  It  can  thus  be  seen  that  the  actual  supply  of  raw 
material  is  greater  or  less  per  acre,  according  to  the  condition  in 
which  it  may  be  found. 

No  exact  volume  of  marl  to  the  barrel  of  cement  can  then  be 
given,  as  it  varies  in  each  bed,  but  for  a high  grade  marl  of  medium 
moisture,  probably  10  cubic  feet  to  the  barrel  would  be  an  average. 
It  is  estimated  in  the  Clare  bed  with  94$  to  96$  calcium  carbonate, 
and  50$  to  70$  moisture  to  be  from  7.5  to  12.5  cubic  feet.  At  Zukey 
Lake,  the  Standard  Portland  Cement  Company,  with  calcium  car- 
bonate 93.92$,  estimates  9 cubic  feet  of  marl  to  the  barrel  of 
cement. 

The  clay  is  much  more  compact  and  free  from  moisture.  The 
volume  of  clay  of  the  Omega  Cement  Company  required  for  one 
barrel  of  cement  was  estimated  to  be  1.12  to  2.12  cubic  feet,  accord- 
ing to  the  per  cent  of  calcium  carbonate  contained  in  the  clay. 

The  question  as  to  the  requisite  acreage  of  marl  is  discussed  by 
several  cement  plants,  and  the  estimated  acreage  varies  widely, 
being  from  262  acres  to  2,000  acres.  The  favorite  plan  is  to  show 
an  acreage  which  will  run  a factory  of  the  desired  size  for  100 
years.  Several  factories  have  been  projected  upon  75  or  100  acres, 
but  have  evidently  given  up  from  lack  of  material. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan.  Vol.  viii  Part  III  Piate  V. 


GENERAL  PLAN  OF  FOUR  KILN  PLANT  WITH  PLACE  FOR  EXPANSION 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  169 


§ 9.  Requisites  for  marl  deposit. 

Taking  the  consensus  of  opinion  as  laid  down  in  the  prospec- 
tuses of  the  different  factories  built  or  building  in  the  State,  and 
the  relative  merits  of  beds  as  viewed  in  various  parts  of  the  State, 
the  requisites  of  marl  are  as  follows: 

Surfacing. 

There  should  be  little  or  no  surfacing  and  the  water  covering 
the  marl  should  be  as  shallow  as  possible,  not  over  six  or  eight 
feet.  The  amount  of  raw  material  in  the  State  does  not  necessi- 
tate the  use  of  beds  covered  with  any  great  depth  of  muck  or  other 
useless  matter  which  requires  surfacing.  The  marl  must  be 
located  on  or  near  railroads,  but  better  than  all,  on  the  Great 
Lakes.  See  freight  rates,  under  shipping. 

Necessary  composition. 

The  prospectuses  so  far  examined  do  not  give  any  analyses  of 
marl  lower  than  90$  calcium  carbonate.  They  vary  all  the  way 
from  this  to  96$.  It  is  doubtful  in  some  cases,  whether  this  is  the 
highest  sample  found,  or  the  average  of  samples  in  the  bed.  One 
prospectus  which  gave  a sample  analysis  in  its  prospectus  of  95.73$ 
calcium  carbonate  gave  in  two  samples  taken  and  analyzed  by  two 
reliable  chemists,  when  its  bed  was  sampled  as  fairly  as  possible, 
83.04  and  77.05$  calcium  carbonate  respectively.  In  the  majority 
of  beds  the  marl  varies  with  the  depth,  and  when  it  is  90$  CaC03 
near  the  surface  it  is  likely  at  20  or  30  feet  to  be  only  75  or  80$ 
calcium  carbonate,  as  explained  in  previous  chapters. 

It  is  very  safe  to  say  that  if  an  average  of  all  samples  taken, 
whether  deep  or  shallow,  and  irrespective  of  the  choicest  location, 
reaches  90$,  the  bed  is  safe  as  regards  calcium  carbonate.  This 
will  imply  unless  the  bed  is  exceptional,  that  many  samples  will 
run  as  high  as  95$. 

Depth. 

The  depth  of  marl  used  or  counted  upon  in  the  State  varies  from 
as  low  as  15  feet  to  depths  which  no  scow  of  the  present  kind  in 
use  could  possibly  reach.  It  is  fair  to  say  that  marl  seems  to  be 
used  anywhere  from  15  to  25  feet  below  water  level,  with  the  re- 
strictions as  to  water  mentioned  in  the  paragraph  on  surfacing. 
Low  calcium  carbonate  means  high  organic  matter,  which  is  un- 
desirable from  the  greater  bulk  of  useless  matter  transferred  to  the 
factory  to  be  burned. 

The  dangerous  constituents  are  sulphuric  acid  and  magnesia. 

22-Pt.  Ill 


170 


MARL. 


Sulphuric  acid. 

This  does  not  appear  to  be  troublesome  according  to  the  analyses 
seen  in  the  various  prospectuses,  being  given  from  .08$  to  .58$.  It 
could  go  considerably  above  this,  depending  upon  the  amount  in 
the  clay.  It  is  not  often  very  troublesome  in  pure  marls,  but 
should  be  watched. 

Magnesia. 

This  is  very  much  more  troublesome,  as  a strain  of  magnesian 
clay  in  the  marl  may  cause  it  to  vary  dangerously.  The  cement 
prospectuses  giving  analyses,  show  from  1.41$  to  1.79$  magnesium 
oxide,  which  is  a very  safe  limit. 

Grain. 

Some  of  the  marls  of  our  State  are  very  fine  and  rival  the  finest 
grinding  of  any  material  by  machinery.  One  case  was  noted  where 
there  was  but  4$  left  on  a 200x200  sieve,  or  40,000  meshes  to  the 
square  inch.  This  is  certainly  wherein  marl  excels  all  other  raw 
materials  for  cement  manufacture.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that 
an  excess  of  shells  or  pebbly  accretions  somewhat  increase  the 
power  necessary  to  grind  finely  and  are  a drawback.  A marl  with 
above  3$  or  4$  coarse  or  fine  sand,  must  be  ruled  out.  Effects  will 
be  noticed  further  on.  For  analyses  of  marls  for  factory  purposes, 
see  p.  32  and  the  descriptions  of  different  plants. 

§ 10.  Clay. 

We  have  in  this  State  two  kinds  of  clays,  one  being  shale, 
which  is  often  very  hard  to  grind,  but  is  steady  in  composition,  and 
generally  most  free  from  carbonates.  The  other  class  are 
not  of  the  nature  of  rock,  but  have  been  more  recently 
laid  down  by  the  action  of  water  and  are  not  compressed. 
The  grains  are  more  easily  separated,  and  grinding  is  effected 
with  less  cost  in  power.  A good  cement  clay  analysis  is  that  of 
Millbury,  O.,  being  the  average  of  50,  as  given  by  J.  G.  Dean; 
Si02  61.06,  A1203  18.10,  Fe203  6.65,  CaO  1.25,  MgO  .53,  S03  1.05, 
organic  matter  and  water  9.20.*  The  principal  points  about  clays 
are  the  relations  of  silica  and  alumina  and  the  proportions  of 
lime,  magnesia  and  sulphuric  acid.  If  there  is  much  lime  the  clay 
will  not  go  as  far  with  the  same  amount  of  marl.  Hence,  if  it  is 
to  be  carried  by  railroad  any  distance,  there  is  the  resulting  dis- 
advantage of  increased  cost  of  transportation.  Organic  matter 
and  moisture  are  of  course  a dead  weight.  The  above  clay  is  a 


*See  also  Prof.  Fall’s  paper. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan.  Vol.  VIII  Part  III  Plate  VI. 


GENERAL  INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  SLURRY  DEPARTMENT. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  171 


fairly  good  sample  of  surface  clays  used  for  cement  manufacture, 
the  same  bed  from  which  this  was  taken,  being  used  by  two  fac- 
tories in  this  siate.  A surface  clay,  if  of  the  right  composition, 
is  much  better  because  easier  to  dig  and  grind  than  shales.  Often 
in  the  neighborhood  of  shale  outcrops  there  is  found  a good  surface 
clay,  which  is  the  broken  down  and  decomposed  shale,  and  makes 
a very  suitable  clay. 

The  great  body  of  Michigan  clays  are  too  high  in  magnesia  and 
in  alumina  in  proportion  to  silica.* 

An  average  result  from  six  factories  giving  their  clay  analyses 
was  the  following  analysis: 

Silica,  59.90. 

Alumina,  22.76. 

Magnesia,  1.47. 

Sulphuric  acid,  1.04  (but  two  out  of  six  stated). 

§ 11.  Admixture  of  raw  materials. 

This  of  course  depends  upon  the  exact  amount  of  moisture  and 
the  percentage  of  calcium  oxide  in  the  marl,  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  percentage  of  silica,  iron  and  alumina  in  the  clay,  on  the 
other.  It  can  never  be  correctly  determined  without  a careful 
analysis  of  both  raw  materials.  A good  clay  is  less  variable  than 
the  marl.  At  Bronson,  it  was  said  that  the  clay  was  analyzed  once 
a week  and  the  marl  was  analyzed  every  day.  The  slurry  is  analyzed 
frequently  to  see  if  it  continues  in  the  right  proportions,  showing 
at  once  whether  the  measurement  of  the  raw  materials  is  carried 
on  exactly  and  whether  the  raw  material  is  varying  much  from  the 
last  analysis.  If  it  does,  one  raw  material  or  the  other  must  be 
added  to  preserve  the  correct  balance  for  the  production  of  a 
cement  of  even  composition. 

Lathbury  and  Spackman,  who  write  the  article  on  cement  mak- 
ing given  below,  say  in  their  magnificent  triglot  on  American 
Engineering  Practice  in  the  constructing  of  Rotary  Portland 
Cement  Plants  :f 

“A  glance  at  the  analyses  of  the  standard  brands  of  cements, 
both  American  and  Foreign,  will  show  a great  uniformity,  and 
it  can  be  stated  that  in  a good  cement,  the  amount  of  the  different 
ingredients  will  only  vary  within  very  narrow  limits,  as  shown  in 
the  accompanying  table. 

*See  Part  I of  this  volume,  i.  e.,  Hies’  report  on  shales  and  clays  of  Michigan, 
and  the  analyses  of  shales  in  the  descriptions  of  various  plants. 

fPublished  by  G.  M.  S.  Armstrong,  Harrison  Building,  Philadelphia. 


172 


MARL. 


Silica  

Minimum. 
19* 

Maximum. 

260 

Alumina  

4 

10 

Iron  

2 

5 

Lime 

58 

67 

Magnesia  

0 

5 

Sulphuric  Acid  . . . 

0 

2.5 

Alkalies  

0 

2.8 

Le  Chatelier,  after  long  study  of  the  composition  of  cements, 
concluded  that  the  two  important  compounds  existing  in  the 
clinker  were  a tri-calcic  silicate  (3CaO  . Si02),  and  a tri-calcic 
aluminate  (3Ca0.Al203).  The  hardened  cement  consists  of  hexa- 
gonal plates  of  calcium  hydrate  Ca(OH)2  imbedded  in  a white  mass 
of  interlaced  crystals  of  hydrated  calcium  mono-silicate  (CaO. 
Si02  2f  HoO).  The  chief  reaction  which  takes  place  during  the 
setting  of  cement,  according  to  Le  Chatelier  may,  therefore,  be 
represented  as  follows: 

3 Ca0.Si02+xH20=Ca(0H)2+Ca0.Si02.2y2  H20. 

Assuming  that  three  equivalents  of  lime  and  no  more  can  enter 
into  the  combination  with  silica  and  alumina  in  a cement,  then  as- 
suming magnesia  to  act  the  same  as  lime,  the  proportion  of  lime 


should  not  be  less  than  that  required  by  the  formula 


^ CaO+MgO 

or  greater  than  ' — 

S1O0 — AL  Oa 


CaO-)-MgO 
Si02-f  A1203 


-Fe203 

“The  Messrs.  Newberry  in  a series  of  researches  as  to  the  con- 
stitution of  cement,  determined  by  synthesis: 

“First,  that  lime  can  combine  with  silica  in  the  proportion  of 
three  molecules  of  lime  to  one  of  silica  (3Ca0.Si02)  and  give  a 
product  of  practically  constant  volume  and  good  hardening 
properties.  With  more  than  this  proportion  of  lime  the  product 
is  not  sound. 

“Second,  that  lime  can  combine  with  alumina  in  the  proportions 
of  two  molecules  of  lime  to  one  of  alumina  (2CaO  . A1203)  giving  a 
product  which  sets  quickly,  but  shows  constant  volume  and  good 
hardening  properties.  With  more  than  two  molecules  of  lime  the 
product  is  not  sound.  Thus  Newberry  gives  as  the  formula  for  a 
cement  with  the  maximum  amount  of  lime,  x(3CaO  . Si02)  +y(2CaO. 
A1203)  x and  y being  variable  factors,  dependent  on  the  relative 
proportions  of  the  silica  and  alumina  in  the  clay. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  173 

“In  practice,  cements  contain  a slightly  less  quantity  of  lime 
than  the  above  formula  requires,  because  of  the  difficulty  of  secur- 
ing perfect  mixing  and  burning  and  the  danger  of  over  liming  if 
the  formula  is  exceeded.” 

§ 12.  Mixing  and  raw  grinding.* 

The  marl  is  dumped  into  a large  tank  or  vat  and  is  generally 
screened  to  relieve  it  of  gross  organic  and  foreign  matter,  useless 
to  the  process.  As  before  mentioned  it  may  arrive  at  the  factory 
in  little  dump  cars,  by  means  of  an  overhead  trolley  or  cable  work- 
ing from  factory  to  bed,  by  horse  or  mule  power,  by  scow  towed 
in  the  lake,  or  by  pumping  from  the  dredge  where  it  is  scooped 
up  directly  to  the  factory  by  pipe.  In  all  but  the  last  method  the 
marl  becomes  somewhat  dried  during  transportation.  The  marl 
may  be  pumped  into  a large  hopper  and  estimated  by  volume, 
while  the  clay  is  weighed  directly,  the  right  weight  of  it  being 
added  to  each  hopper  of  marl,  when  the  two  are  then  mixed  and 
ground  together.  Sometimes  the  clay  and  marl  are  said  to  be 
ground  separately.  At  Bronson,  millstones  were  used  to  grind  the 
raw  materials  in  the  wet,  and  at  Omega  they  were  ground  as  a 
slurry  in  tube  mills  (Fig.  15).  The  devices  used  to  handle  the  raw 


Fig.  15.  Tube  mill. 


materials  at  this  stage  of  the  process  vary  much.  The  idea  should 
always  be  to  handle  the  resulting  slurry  with  as  low  a percentage 
of  water  as  possible  and  yet  make  a perfect  mixture  of  the  two 
materials.  Screw  conveyors  and  sludge  mills  are  used  for  mixing 
and  conveying  from  vat  to  vat  and  to  the  tanks  which  supply  the 
rotaries.  The  slurry  in  the  tanks  must  be  kept  in  motion  as  it  is 


*See  Plates  V,  VI,  and  IX. 


174 


MABL. 


fed  out,  because  the  more  solid  material  settles  by  gravity  to  the 
bottom  and  would,  if  allowed,  disturb  the  equality  of  the  mixture. 

The  expense  of  the  raw  grinding  department  was  estimated  for 
a 2,400  barrel  plant  at  Lupton,  as  follows: 

Raw  grinding  department  (two  shifts). 


2 millers  at  $2.00 $4  00 

4 scalemen  at  $1.50 6 00 

1 electrician 1 75 

Oil  and  grease 3 00 


Total  $14  75 

125$  repair  account 18  44 


Grand  total $33  19 


Cost  per  barrel  1.4  cents. 

Other  plants,  planned  to  manufacture  from  600  to  1,000  barrels, 
show  four  to  six  cents  cost  per  barrel  for  this  step.  No  expense 
should  be  spared  to  do  this  step  thoroughly.  The  whole  suc- 
cess of  the  process  depends  upon  the  fineness  of  grinding  and 
intimate  mixing  of  every  particle  of  clay  and  marl  so  that  each 
particle  of  silica  and  alumina  shall  have  its  portion  of  calcium 
oxide  ready  to  satisfy  it.  The  larger  the  lumps  of  raw  material 
left  unground,  the  more  unsatisfied  and  harmful  material  remains. 

§ 13.  Burning. 

Every  factory  now  going  or  projected  in  this  State  uses  the 
Ransome  rotary  kiln  process  (Plate  VII  of  Lathbury  and  Spack- 
man’s  illustrations).  It  was  invented  by  F.  Ransome,  an  English 
engineer. 

“It  consists  essentially  of  a revolving  furnace  (cylindrical  in 
form),  constructed  of  an  outer  casing  of  steel  boiler  plate  lined 
with  good  refractory  fire  brick,  so  arranged  that  certain  courses 
are  set  forward  in  order  to  form  three  or  more  longitudinal  pro- 
jections, films  or  ledges.  The  cylinder  is  rotated  slowly  by  means 
of  a worm  gear  and  wheel  driven  by  a pulley  upon  the  shaft  carry- 
ing the  worm.  The  cylindrical  casing  is  surrounded  by  twTo  cir- 
cular rails  or  pathways,  turned  perfectly  true,  to  revolve  upon  steel 
rollers,  mounted  upon  suitable  foundations.  Gas,  oil  or  pulverized 
coal  may  be  used  for  fuel.”* 

The  kilns  are  usually  arranged  in  a row  (Plate  VIII),  with  the 


*Cement  and  Engineering  News. 


Geological  SurAey  of  Michigan.  Voi.  vm  Part  m piate  VII 


% 


VIEW  OF  ROTARY. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  175 


supply  tanks  or  reservoirs  back  of  them.  The  kilns  lie  side  by 
side  with  their  longest  axes  parallel  so  that  the  motive  power  may 
be  applied  over  as  small  space  as  possible.  In  a fourteen  rotary 
plant  as  at  Coldwater  or  Quincy,  there  are  two  rows  of  rotaries, 
seven  kilns  each  with  the  rows  facing  each  other.  Petroleum,  gas 
or  pulverized  coal  is  used  as  fuel.  This  depends  somewhat  upon 
which  can  be  delivered  most  cheaply  at  the  factory.  The  price  of 
petroleum,  of  course,  is  in  the  hands  of  a few  and  is  liable  to 
vary  more  or  less,  while  coal  may  be  had  on  the  grounds  in  many 
parts  of  the  State.  It  is  therefore  coming  into  use  more  generally. 
According  to  Stanger  and  Blount,  its  ultimate  success  is  depend- 
ent upon  the  method  of  injecting  the  stream  of  coal  dust  into  the 
rotaries.* 

The  Ransome  kiln  has  been  modified  much  to  get  around  some 
of  the  difficulties  encountered,  and  has  been  used  with  success  in 
America,  though  it  proved  unprofitable  in  England.  The  chief 
trouble  in  the  wet  process,  as  employed  in  nearly  all  the  factories 
in  this  State,  is  the  cost  of  fuel.  This  is  considerably  greater  than 
it  should  be  when  the  actual  heat  is  figured  out  theoretically.  The 
weight  of  coal  necessary  to  be  consumed  to  produce  clinker  has 
been  estimated  as  23.28$  of  the  weight  of  the  clinker  produced. 
If  a portion  of  the  heat  of  the  waste  gases  is  used  and  they  are 
allowed  to  escape  at  200  degrees  C.,  the  percentage  is  reduced  to 
17.1$  of  the  weight  of  clinker  in  coal.  In  wet  process,  40$  moisture, 
with  escaped  gases  at  200  degrees  O.,  49.3$  of  the  heat  is  required 
to  dry  the  mixture.* 

The  upper  end  of  the  kiln  is  metal  while  the  lower  end  toward 
the  flame  is  lined  with  magnesia  or  aluminum  brick,  to  withstand 
the  great  heat.  While  the  bricks  are  as  nearly  pure  as  possible, 
the  lime  of  the  slurry  acts  upon  them,  producing  fusion  to  such 
an  extent  that  it  has  been  estimatedf  that  three  kilns  did  about  the 
work  of  two,  because  of  the  break  downs  and  delays  caused  from 
the  fusing  of  the  lining.  A way  is  suggested  and  looks  very 
feasible,  of  lining  the  fire  brick  with  a coating  of  cement,  packing 
it  down  so  as  to  afford  a protection  to  the  brick  below.  This 
method  is  employed  at  the  Atlas  Cement  works  as  described  by 
Stanger  and  Blount. 


♦Engineering  News,  October  24,  1901. 
tA.  H.  Cederberg. 


176 


MARL. 


Analysis  of  kiln  brick,  Stanger  & Blount. 


Silica  55.82$ 

Alumina  37.98 

Ferric  oxide  4.02 

Calcium  oxide  

Magnesia  .78 

Soda  88 

Potash  .37 


In  the  furnace  the  slurry  is  first  dried,  then  as  it  travels  further 
toward  the  flame  the  different  materials  become  oxidized.  The  50 
or  more  per  cent  of  water  is  driven  off  in  the  form  of  steam.  The 
organic  matter  is  reduced  to  ash,  the  carbon  being  driven  off  in 
the  form  of  carbon  dioxide.  The  calcium  carbonate  loses  46  per 
cent  of  its  weight  as  carbon  dioxide  driven  off  as  a gas.  The  silica 
and  alumina  are  made  soluble  and  brought  into  a nascent  condi- 
tion with  the  calcium  oxide.  If  there  is  much  sand  in  the  slurry, 
it  is  not  as  easy  to  grind  nor  as  likely  to  be  ground  fine,  and  the  sand, 
resisting  the  heat,  delays  the  point  of  semi-vitrification  and  in- 
creases the  cost  of  burning  besides  being  hard  to  grind  at  any  stage 
of  the  process. 

As  the  heat  necessary  to  clinker  cement  material  is  between 
2,000  and  3,000  degrees  F.  the  blast  of  air  coming  in  with  the  coal 
or  petroleum  and  the  gases  driven  off,  must  carry  with  them  an 
immense  amount  of  heat. 

The  amount  of  heat  necessary  to  produce  clinker  for  one  barrel 
of  cement  is  estimated  by  S.  B.  Newberry  as  follows: 

Intermittent  or  vertical  kiln  (coke)  76  to  95  lbs. 


Continuous  vertical  kiln  42  to  46  lbs. 

Rotary  kiln,  dry  material  110  to  120  lbs. 


Rotary  kiln,  wet  material  (50$water)  150  to  160  lbs. 

It  is  also  estimated  by  Fred  W.  Brown,  E.  M.*  that  an  additional 
3 gallons  of  oil  or  301bs.  of  coal  is  consumed  where  wet  material  is 
used  in  a rotary  kiln  instead  of  dry.  These  figures  tally  rather 
closely  and  show  the  increased  expense  at  this  stage  of  wet  marls 
over  dry  limestone  as  a raw  material.  In  case  the  marl  contains 
a large  per  cent  of  organic  matter  this  is  nearly  as  expensive  as 
water  because  it  calls  for  a large  draft  of  cold  air  which  must  be 
heated  to  the  furnace  temperature  in  oxidizing  the  useless  organic 
matter.  The  question  is  then,  how  to  utilize  the  immense  amount 
of  heat  which  is  wasted.  This  is  roughly  estimated  as  of  175  horse 


!Cement  and  Engineering  News. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  177 

power  intensity  when  but  about  100  horse  power  of  energy  is  used 
in  clinkering  the  material. 

Mr.  Brown  makes  the  following  suggestions  for  improvement. 

1.  Recovery  of  heat  from  clinker  produced. 

2.  Reduction  of  radiation  of  heat  to  a minimum. 

3.  Reduction  of  surplus  air  over  that  used  in  combustion  to  a 
minimum. 

4.  Reduction  of  temperature  of  escaping  gas  to  a minimum. 

5.  Development  of  the  efficiency  of  the  melting  chamber  to  a 
maximum. 

He  further  recommends  an  induced  draft  to  control  the  rate  of 
combustion  and  the  removal  and  cooling  of  the  gases  engendered 
in  burning. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  could  be  done  and  also  that  the  hot 
clinker  could  help  to  heat  the  air  entering  the  rotary.  The  idea 
also  of  using  the  super  heated  air  and  gases  to  generate  steam  to 
furnish  motive  power,  and  packing  or  lining  the  surface  of  the 
rotary  to  prevent  undue  radiation  of  heat  is  promising,  but  their 
application  must  hinge  on  the  ingenuity  of  inventors. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  in  many  parts  of  the  State  the  waste  heat 
could  be  used  to  aid  in  evaporating  the  brine  of  salt  wells  so  that 
salt  could  be  produced  in  connection  with  cement. 

The  two  weak  features  of  wet  marl  as  a raw  material  come 
out  in  the  portion  of  the  process  employing  the  rotaries.  High 
organic  matter  is  said  to  “clog”  the  rotaries  and  if  not  that,  it 
must  be  dried  and  then  oxidized  so  that  there  is  another  expense 
added  to  the  extra  cost  of  conveying  it  and  handling  it  as  slurry. 
The  increased  amount  of  fuel  necessary  to  accomplish  this  and  to 
drive  off  the  moisture  of  about  50 $ in  the  form  of  steam  is  one 
thing  that  makes  the  process  expensive  as  compared  with  handling 
dry  and  compact  limestone.  It  is  of  course  counterbalanced  by 
the  extra  cost  of  grinding  limestone  because  the  marl  is  already 
finely  divided  by  nature. 

23-Pt.  Ill 


178 


MARL. 


ESTIMATES  OF  COST.* 

A.  2,400  barrels  per  day. 

Coal  Grinding. 

4 feeders  at  $1.50 $6  00 

2 firemen  at  $1.50 3 00 

2 general  men  at  $1.40 2 80 

8 tons  coal  at  $1.50 12  00 


Oil  and  grease $25  80 


Burning  Department. 


2 electricians  at  $2.00 

$4  00 

2 headburners  at  $3.33 

6 66 

24  underburners  at  $1.80 

43  20 

100  tons  slack  at  $1.60 

256  00 

2 oilers  at  $2.00 

4 00 

8 general  men  at  $1.30 

4 50 

$328  76 
$354  56 

10$  repair  account  

35  45 

$390  01 


B.  1,200  barrels  per  day. 


Coal  Grinding  (one  shift). 


2 feeders  at  $1.50 $3  00 

'2  firemen  at  $1.50 3 00 

2 general  men  at  $1.40 2 80 

4 tons  of  coal  at  $1.50 6 00 


Total  $16  30 


4 feeders  at  $1.50 * . . . . $6  00 

2 firemen  at  $1.50 3 00 

2 general  men  at  $1.40 2 80 

8 tons  coal  at  $1.50 12  00 

Oil  and  grease 2 00 


$25  40 


*For  some  of  these  detailed  estimates  Mr.  Hale  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Cederberg. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  179 

Burning. 


2 electricians  at  $1.75 $3  50 

2 headburners  at  $3.00 6 00 

12  underburners  at  $1.80 21  60 

80  tons  slack  coal  at  $1.60 *128  00 

2 oilers  at  $1.50 3 00 

2 general  men  at  $1.50 3 00  $171  14 


$206  14 

10 </0  repair  account. 18  74 


Grand  total  206  14 


Cost  per  barrel 17.2 


The  cost  of  burning  is  estimated  by  different  factories  as  from 
3 to  25  c per  barrel,  the  lowest  being  that  of  Hecla  cement  com- 
pany, which  contemplates  mining  its  own  coal  on  the  site  of  the 
factory. 

One  great  virtue  in  the  rotary  kiln  is  that  by  careful  watching 
the  control  of  fuel  being  perfect  the  amount  of  over  or  under 
burned  cement  may  be  reduced  to  a minimum.  For  a view  of  the 
clinker  end  of  rotaries  with  arrangement  of  coal  feeders,  see 
Plate  VIII. 

§ 14.  Clinker  grinding. 

When  the  clinker  drops  from  the  rotary  it  must  be  cooled  for 
grinding.  It  may  be  allowed  to  lie  until  cool  or  the  process  may 
be  hastened.  A blast  of  cool  air  may  be  passed  over  it  and  this 
air  used  as  a hot  blast  in  feeding  coal  into  the  kiln.  For  elevation 
of  the  whole  process  see  Plate  IX  (Lathbury  and  Spaekman’s 
Plate  I.) 

The  clinker  is  gathered  in  nodules  the  size  of  a pea  to  the  size 
of  the  fist.  When  broken  across,  a nodule  shows  a steel-like  lustre,, 
said  to  be  due  to  crystals  of  some  soluble  silicate.  If  it  is  a dead 
black  it  is  overburned,  if  of  a light  gray  it  is  underburned,  in  either 
case  being  worthless.  A new  scheme  of  cooling  the  cement  is 
devised  by  the  Atlas  company,  which  it  is  said  aids  in  “curing” 
the  cement.  It  is  first  passed  over  hollow  rollers  through  which 


*The  Omega  and  Alpena  factories  use  coal  dust  as  will  the  Hecla. 


180 


MARL. 


cool  air  is  passed.  This  air  goes  to  the  rotaries  warmed,  to  feed  the 
coal  blast  passing  into  the  rotary.  The  clinker  then  falls  on  crush- 
ing rollers  which  break  up  the  larger  lumps.  These  rollers  are 
housed,  and  fed  with  a spray  of  water  which  dampens  the  cement 
and  is  said  to  satisfy  the  calcium  oxide  not  taken  up  by  the  silica 
and  alumina  and  so  hasten  at  once  the  curing  of  the  cement.* 

The  whole  philosophy  of  the  grinding  process  is  to  get  a cement 
ground  as  finely  as  possible  so  that  the  cementing  surface,  which 
will  increase  with  the  smallness  of  the  individual  particles,  will 
be  as  great  as  possible.  For  this  reason  the  finer  the  flour  to  which 
the  cement  is  reduced  the  more  efficient  the  brand.  The  great  end 
of  manufacturers  is,  therefore,  to  obtain  a cement  which  will  be 
ground  finely  enough  to  pass  all  requirements. 

For  tests,  see  table  on  pp.  681  and  682  of  Prof.  I.  C.  Russell’s 
article  in  the  Twenty-second  Annual  Report  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
►Survey,  Part  III  and  at  the  end  of  Mr.  Humphrey’s  report. 

The  three  different  classes  of  machinery  used  for  cement  grinding 
may  be  described  as  millstone,  tube  mill,  and  rim  roller. 

The  power  consumed  by  the  machinery  of  the  process  as  reduced 
to  the  production  of  one  ton  of  cement  per  hour  is  approximated 
by  Henry  Faija,  as  follows: 

Per  ton  per  hour. 

For  millstones 30  to  32  I.  H.  P. 

Ball  principle 16  to  18  I.  H.  P. 

Edge  runner 12  to  14  I.  H.  P. 

Millstones  are  expensive  from  the  fact  that  they  must  be  re- 
dressed so  often  as  to  render  the  process  too  costly.  They  are  also 
the  most  expensive  of  horse  power. 

Plates  X and  XI  are  illustrations  of  the  Griffin  mill,  which  seems 
to  be  the  most  popular  type  of  the  rim  roller  class. 

Plate  X shows  a battery  of  Griffin  mill  at  the  Alpha  Portland 
Cement  Works,  Phillipsburgh,  X.  J.  Notice  that  they  are  mounted 
upon  concrete  foundations  and  as  closely  together  as  possible,  for 
an  economical  application  of  power. 

Plate  XI  shows  a 30-inch  Griffin  mill  arranged  for  dry  pulverizing. 
This  shows  the  interior  and  it  is  shown  how  the  material  is  fed 
down  between  the  roll  and  its  ring  or  die.  These  mills  deliver  a 
finely  ground  and  crushed  grain  and  are  used  in  over  fifty  mills  in 
the  United  States. 


*For  detailed  description  see  Engineering  News,  October  24,  1901. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  181 


The  Griffin  mill  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  best  of  its  class,  but 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  adopted  very  generally  in  Michigan.* 

Probably  the  best  illustration  of  the  ball  principle  as  manufac- 
tured in  this  country  is  that  represented  by  F.  L.  Smidth  & Com- 
pany, 66  Maiden  Lane,  New  York,  as  given  in  Plate  XII. 

This  principle,  as  far  as  can  be  learned,  is  adopted  in  most  of  the 
factories  of  Michigan  and  is  well  adapted  to  both  wet  and  dry 
material.  It  is  rather  economical  of  power  and  turns  out  a very 
fine  product.  Greenland  chert  pebbles  of  a very  peculiar  appear- 
ance are  used.  They  are  smooth,  rather  flat,  generally  ovate  or 
elliptical  in  shape  and  have  a small  groove  or  indentation  in  one  of 
their  flat  surfaces.  They  are  said  to  withstand  the  wear  of  grinding 
better  than  anything  yet  found  and  are  rather  widely  used  for  this 
purpose.  The  element  of  cost  in  this  class  of  grinding  is  in  repla- 
cing the  pebbles  which  wear  out  and  contribute  to  the  siliceous  con- 
tent of  the  ground  cement.  It  is  claimed  for  this  class  of  machine 
that  it  does  its  work  quicker  than,  and  turns  out  as  fine  a product  with 
as  little  wear  and  tear  and  expense  of  power  as  any  class  of  grind- 
ing machinery.  It  would  appear  that  the  wear  on  the  machinery 
would  be  less  than  for  any  other  class.  For  estimate  of  percentage 
of  cost  of  grinding  for  this  class  of  machinery,  see  the  itemized 
expense  of  grinding  clinker  by  this  process  at  the  close  of  this 
section. 

The  finer  the  cement  is  ground  the  more  rough  material  it  is 
supposed  to  cement  together,  as  of  course,  the  finer  a given  piece 
is  the  greater  surface  it  will  present  to  cement  other  materials 
together.  It  thus  follows  that  the  finer  a cement  is  ground  the 
more  it  can  be  adulterated  with  coarse  materials,  such  as  sand. 
This  fact  has  been  taken  advantage  of  in  the  manufacture  of  what 
is  called  “silica  cement.”  Sand  is  ground  very  finely,  and  mixed 
with  Portland  cement,  thus  going  much  further  than  the  neat 
cement,  when  mixed  with  coarse  sand.  For  more  details  see 
Cement  and  Engineering  News,  February,  1899. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  mention  here  some  experiments  con- 
ducted under  Prof.  A.  P.  Hood  at  the  Michigan  College  of  Mines, 
in  regard  to  fineness  of  grinding.  The  following  are  the  statement 
of  the  purpose  and  the  final  results  obtained  by  the  experimenters. 

1.  Test  A.  Effect  of  fineness  of  grinding  on  tensile  strength 

*The  illustrations  were  given  us  by  the  Bradley  Pulverizer  Company,  92  State 
street,  Boston,  Mass. 


182 


MARL. 


of  briquette.  The  experimenter  concludes  that  it  makes  little 
difference  whether  the  cement  is  finely  or  coarsely  ground.  The 
finer  and  coarser  ground  being  weaker  as  compared  with  the 
medium.  This  he  continues  is  directly  contrary  to  practice  and  to 
all  current  literature  on  the  subject,  and  thinks  perhaps  if  the 
briquettes  had  been  molded  better  the  results  would  have  been 
different. 

B.  Effect  of  different  percentages  of  water  used  in  mixing 
Wolverine  cement.  Results.  At  seven  days  15  per  cent  water* 
gives  highest  tensile  strength.  At  28  days,  20  per  cent  water  gives 
highest  strength. 

C.  Influence  of  different  grades  of  sand  on  tensile  strength. 
Normal  sand  shows  highest  strength.  With  increase  of  coarseness 
strength  decreases.  Standard  crushed  quartz  shows  about  the 
average  between  coarse  and  normal  sand. 

D.  Effect  of  different  amounts  of  working  of  mortar.  Working 

* 

fourteen  minutes  gives  highest  tensile  strength  with  a gradual 
decrease  with  eight  and  two  minutes  working. 

E.  The  comparative  strength  of  four  cements  were  in  the  follow- 
ing order:  Wolverine,  Lagendorfer,  Bronson  and  Milwaukee. 

The  strengths  of  the  cements  increase  with  age,  the  difference 
between  the  seven  day  test  and  the  twenty-eight  day  test  showing 
an  increase  of  twenty-five  per  cent. 

Cement  mortars,  one  part  cement  and  one  sand,  the  order  of 
strength  is  W,  B,  L,  M. 

With  one  part  cement  and  two  parts  sand,  the  order  of  strength 
is  the  same  as  above  stated,  and  the  increase  of  strength  from  the 
seven  to  the  twenty-eight  day  test  is  about  fifteen  per  cent  as  com- 
pared with  the  neat. 

With  one  part  cement  and  three  parts  sand,  B has  but  slight 
advantage  over  W,  while  L and  M in  order  are  much  weaker,  the 
last  named  being  weakest.  Average  increase  of  strength  with  age 
not  appreciable  at  twenty-eight  days. 

In  general,  Wolverine  lias  greatest  strength  for  all  purposes, 
especially  when  hardened  under  water.  Bronson  has  next  strength 
and  is  very  quick  setting  and  can  be  used  to  advantage  in  a damp 
place.  It  makes  a strong  mortar.  L comes  next  and  Milwaukee, 

*See  remarks  after  Fall’s  paper,  printed  in  the  Mich.  Engineer,  and  at  the  end  of 
this  report. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  ROUT  LAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  183 


a natural  cement,  has  a disintegrating  tendency  under  water  with 
but  a slight  increase  in  strength. 

F,  G.  Test  for  compressive  strength  of  the  above  brands. 

Neat  cements  with  compressive  strength  decrease  in  the  order, 
W,  B,  L,  M.  Mortars:  three  sand,  one  cement,  decrease  in  order, 
B,  W,  L,  M.  This  test  nearly  checks  that  of  tensile  strength  which 
showed  B as  best  used  in  mortar.  From  this  the  experimenter  con- 
cludes that  tensile  strength  checks  very  well  with  compressive 
strength,  so  that  the  latter  tests  need  not  always  be  made. 

These  experiments  are  very  interesting  indeed,  and  are  a good 
illustration  of  one  very  marked  need  in  the  cement  business.  There 
is  imperative  need  of  tests*  along  two  lines:  (1)  To  determine 

exactly  the  best  methods  to  be  used  in  making  tests;  (2)  to  find 
just  what  is  responsible  for  imperfections  in  our  cements,  so  that 
when  a cement  is  tested  in  the  laboratory  and  found  to  be  good, 
that  it  will  be  sure  to  prove  good  when  used  in  a building. 

Test  A of  the  above  tests,  differs  radically  in  its  conclusions 
from  the  present  day  practice.  We  would  suggest  a test  here  to 
supplement  that,  which  will  perhaps  throw  some  light  upon  the 
reason  why  the  finely  ground  cement  did  not  prove  as  useful  in  giv- 
ing high  tensile  strength.  If  the  finer  particles  are  fractured  in 
grinding  to  a dust,  rather  than  worn  down  to  smoothness,  the  frac- 
tured material  should  give  a higher  strength.  This  idea  arises  from 
reasoning  by  analogy  and  therefore  may  be  wrong.  In  a mixture 
of  cement  with  coarser  material,  the  best  results  are  generally 
obtained  with  crushed  rock,  not  rounded  pebbles.  In  testing  cement 
mortars,  a crushed  quartz  gives  the  highest  results  for  tensile 
strength.  It  would  seem  that  there  is  room  for  experiment  right 
here  to  determine  if  different  methods  of  grinding  produce  differ- 
ent shaped  cement  particles  with  a resulting  variation  in  the  tensile 
strength. 

The  cost  of  clinker  grinding  is  estimated  by  four  factories  at  from 
7c  to  12c.  The  grinding  and  the  rotary  departments  are  the  ones 
which  experience  the  most  wear  and  tear  and  hence  should  have  the 
greatest  expense  account.  The  following  is  a detailed  statement  of 
clinker  grinding  as  estimated  at  Lupton : 


♦Compare  those  reported  by  Prof.  Russell  in  the  21st  Annual  Report  of  the  U.  S. 
Geol.  Survey,  pp.  679  to  682,  and  the  report  by  R.  L.  Humphrey. 


184 


MARL. 


ESTIMATE  OF  COST. 

Clinker  grinding  department  (Two  shifts),  1,200  barrels. 


2 electricians  at  $2.00 $4  00 

2 grinding  bosses  at  $2.00 4 00 

4 millers  at  $1.75 7 00 

12  feeders  at  $1.50 18  00 

6 tons  plaster  at  $10.00 60  00 

Oil  and  grease 3 00 


Total  

10$  repair  account 


$96  00 
9 60 


Grand  total 


$105  60 


Cost  per  barrel. 


2,400  barrels 8.8c 

2 electricians  at  $2.00 $4  00 

2 grinding  bosses  at  $2.00 4 00 

4 millers  at  $1.75 7 00 

24  feeders  at  $1.50 36  00 

10  tons  plaster  at  $10.00 100  00 

011  and  grease 4 00 


Total  $155  00 

20$  repair  account 31  00 

Grand  total $186  00 


Total 


7.8c 


Notice  large  cost  of  plaster  per  day.  A company  might  manu- 
facture its  own  plaster  if  located  favorably  for  quarrying  the  raw 
material.  For  location  of  clinker  grinders  in  general  plan,  see 
Plates  Y and  IX.  For  interior  view  of  coarse  and  fine  grinding 
department,  see  Plate  XIII. 

§ 15.  Motive  power. 

This  is  an  important  part.  The  motive  power  required  is  great 
and  must  be  steady,  as  any  breaking  down  of  the  main  engines 
stops  the  whole  plant,  checks  the  grinding  and  cools  the  rotaries. 
To  be  perfectly  sure  that  this  will  not  occur  sometimes,  as  at  the 
Atlas  plant,  a second  engine  is  fully  prepared,  so  that  at  any  time 
it  may  be  hitched  to  the  rotaries  and  cooling  apparatus,  and  the 
vital  part  of  the  process  thereby  wrill  continue.  The  storage  tanks 
of  slurry  are  sometimes  made  large  enough  to  hold  a supply  of 
slurry  for  running  the  kilns  forty-eight  hours,  so  that  all  but  the 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan.  yol  VIII  Part  III  Plate  Villi 


FRONTtHOODS,  OF,  ROTARY  KILNS  AND  CLINKER  ELEVATORS 


Geological  Survey  of  Michiean. 


GENERAL  PLAN  OF  A THREE  KILN  PLANT  WITH  ELEVATIONS 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan.  Vol.  ym  Part  In  Plate  x. 


BATTERY  OF  GRIFFIN  MILLS  GRINDING  CLINKER. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 


Vol.  VIII  Part  III  Plate  XI. 


CROSS  SECTION  OF  GRIFFIN  MILL. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  185 

rotaries  may  be  stopped  Sunday.  There  are  several  new  and  inter- 
esting features  to  be  embodied  in  the  factories  of  this  State  relative 
to  power  and  fuel.  The  Hecla  Cement  Company  propose  to  mine 
their  own  coal  near  the  site  of  the  factory,  thereby  reducing  their 
power  estimate  to  1.28c  per  barrel,  and  their  burning  to  8.25c  per 
barrel.  This  of  course,  is  the  lowest  figure  given  on  either  step  of 
the  process.  Another  admirable  feature  would  be  the  use  of  water 
power  to  drive  the  machinery  of  the  process.  This  is  accomplished  * 
by  the  Newaygo  plant.  A plan  now  generally  adopted  is  to  trans- 
mit the  power  to  the  various  parts  of  the  process  by  electricity, 
making  each  portion  more  independent  of  the  others  and  saving 
a large  waste  of  power  in  the  transmission. 

ESTIMATED  COST  OP  POWER. 

The  itemized  statement  of  power  for  the  Lupton  1,200  barrels 
per  day,  was  as  follows: 

A. 


Boiler  room: 

4 firemen  at  $1.60 $6  40 

50  tons  of  coal  at  $1.50 75  00 

$81  40 


B. 

Engine  room: 

2 chief  engineers  at  $2.75 $5  50 

2 assistant  engineers  at  $2.00 ...  4 00 

2 switchboard  men  at  $2.00 ....  4 00 

2 wipers  at  $1.50 3 00 

Oil,  etc : 3 00 

$19  50 

Total  100  90 

10 fc  repair  account 10  09 


Grand  total $110  99 


Cost  per  barrel 9.3c 

For  2,400  barrel  plant  it  would  be  8.2c 


§ 16.  Storage  and  packing. 

Generally  a large  space  should  be  given  for  the  storage  of  cement 
as  it  is  much  improved  by  “curing.”  If  there  is  any  free  lime  not 
taken  up  and  the  cement  is  used  at  once  in  building,  the  satisfied 
compounds  set,  leaving  the  unused  calcium  oxide  to  absorb  carbon 
dioxide  and  to  swell,  causing  the  cement  to  crack.  The  purpose 
24-Pt.  Ill 


186 


MARL. 


of  storage  bins  is  to  give  the  calcium  oxide  time  to  absorb  before 
the  setting  takes  place,  and  it  also  furnishes  a supply  for  large 
orders,  or  allows  the  plant  to  run  when  orders  are  slack  and  do 
not  call  for  rush  work.  The  Lathbury  and  Spackman  plans  for 
a seven  rotary  plant  show  a storage  capacity  of  150,000  barrels  of 
cement.  So  saying  that  such  a plant  produces  on  an  average  500 
barrels  a day,  this  would  allow  it  to  run  300  days  without  orders, 
to  fill  the  bins.  It  pays  to  have  large  storage  bins  as,  especially 
in  our  State,  the  factories  shut  down  often  from  one  cause  or 
another,  or  perhaps  to  make  extensive  changes  or  to  enlarge  the 
plant.  This  large  storage  prevents  the  cement  leaving  the  market. 
It  must  also  be  remembered  that  the  demand  for  cement  is  great- 
est only  at  certain  times  of  the  year,  and  the  safest  place  to  store 
cement  is  right  at  the  factory,  for  nothing  is  so  dangerous  to  its 
quality  as  a leaky  or  damp  warehouse.  For  ground  plan  and  cross- 
section  of  warehouse,  see  Plates  V and  IX.  The  interior  section 
of  storage  bins  under  construction  is  also  given  in  Plate  IX.  This 
shows  the  shape  of  the  floor,  which  is  something  like  an  inverted  A, 
so  that  the  bin  helps  to  discharge  itself  by  the  force  of  gravity. 

COST  OF  PACKING. 

This  is  not  itemized  by  most  factories,  but  by  the  Lupton  Cement 
Company  prospectus  is  carefully  shown  as  follows,  for  1,200  barrel 
plant: 


Regular  contract  rate 2.55c 

For  2,400  barrels  same  rate. 

In  addition, 

1 foreman $2  00 

Paper,  nails,  liners,  labels,  paste,  making 

average  cost 3.5c 


§ IT.  Specifications  for  cement. 

The  standard  specifications  for  cement  for  the  Xavy  Department 
are  as  follows: 

The  cement  to  be  of  the  best  quality  of  Portland  cement,  freshly 
ground,  and  delivered  in  canvas  sacks,  each  sack  to  contain  not 
less  than  95  pounds  of  cement.  The  sacks  to  be  carefully  secured 
to  prevent  waste  or  loss  in  handling.  Sacks  to  be  returned  to  the 
contractor  from  time  to  time  as  they  are  emptied  for  use  in  the 
work.  The  cement  to  be  delivered  at  the  navy  yard  in  lots  of  400 
bags  each  on  or  before  the  expiration  of  ten  days  notice  in  writing 
to  deliver  each  lot.  The  first  delivery  to  be  made  within  ten  days 
after  the  date  of  the  contract. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  187 

Cement  of  which  a constituent  part  is  derived  or  manufactured 
from  “slag*”  or  which  has  not  been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  con- 
crete in  heavy  foundation  work  for  more  than  three  years  prior  to 
the  time  of  awarding  of  this  contract,  will  not  be  acceptable. 

Bidders  will  be  required  to  submit  with  their  bids  certified  state- 
ments that  no  “slag”  has  been  or  will  be  used  in  the  cement  to  be 
delivered  under  this  contract;  also  a certified  statement  of  the 
engineer  or  architect  of  buildings  or  structures  wherein  this  cement 
has  been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  concrete  in  heavy  foundation 
work,  and  has  proven  satisfactory  in  every  respect  for  the  period 
of  three  years  prior  to  awarding  of  this  contract.  Failure  to  pro- 
duce either  of  the  above  mentioned  certified  statements  will  be 
sufficient  cause  to  reject  the  cement  delivered  by  the  contractors, 
without  further  test,  and  all  rejected  cement  will  be  immediately 
removed  from  the  yard  by  the  contractor  and  replaced  with  other 
cement  to  fully  meet  these  and  all  other  specified  requirements 
and  tests,  without  cost  to  the  government. 

A certified  chemical  analysis  of  the  cement  to  be  delivered  under 
this  contract  must  be  supplied  by  the  contractor  prior  to  the  first 
delivery  of  said  cement. 

All  cement  as  delivered  will  be  immediately  subjected  to  the 
following  tests  by  the  civil  engineer  in  charge  of  the  work;  failure 
of  the  cement  to  fully  meet  each  and  all  of  the  hereinafter  described 
tests  will  cause  rejection  of  the  cement,  which  must  be  immediately 
removed  by  the  contractor  and  replaced  by  other  cement  of  a 
quality  to  meet  the  requirements  and  tests,  without  cost  to  the 
government : 

Specific  gravity  and  fineness — Portland  cement  shall  have  a 
specific  gravity  of  not  less  than  3.1,  and  shall  leave,  by  weight,  a 
residue  of  not  more  than  one  per  cent  on  a No.  50  sieve,  10  per  cent 
on  a No.  100  sieve  and  30  per  cent  on  a No.  200  sieve.  The  sieves 
being  of  brass  wire  cloth,  having  approximately  2,400,  10,200  and 
35,700  meshes  per  square  inch;  the  diameter  of  the  wire  being 
0.0090  inches,  0.0045  inches  and  0.0020  inches,  respectively. 

Constancy  of  volume — Pats  of  neat  cement,  three  inches  in  diam- 
eter, one-half  inch  thick,  with  thin  edges,  immersed  in  water  after 
“hard”  set,  shall  showT  no  signs  of  “checking”  or  disintegration. 

Time  of  setting — It  shall  require  at  least  30  minutes  to  develop 
“initial”  set;  this  being  determined  by  means  of  needles  from 


188 


MARL. 


pastes  of  neat  cement  of  normal  consistency,  the  temperature 
being  between  GO  degrees  and  70  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

Tensile  strength — Briquettes  of  cement  one  inch  square  in  cross- 
section,  shall  develop  the  following  ultimate  tensile  strengths : 

Twenty-four  hours  (in  water  after  “hard”  set),  150  pounds. 

Seven  days  (one  day  in  air,  six  days  in  water),  450  pounds. 

Twenty-eight  days  (one  day  in  air,  twenty-seven  days  in  water), 
550  pounds. 

Seven  days  (one  day  in  air,  six  days  in  water)  one  part  of  cement 
to  three  parts  of  standard  quartz  sand,  170  pounds. 

Twenty-eight  days  (one  day  in  air,  twenty-seven  days  in  water) 
one  part  of  cement  to  three  parts  of  standard  quartz  sand,  240 
pounds. 


The  cement  depends  for  its  quality  upon  the  amount  of  soluble 
silica  and  the  right  proportion  of  lime  to  supply  the  same,  alumina 
being  also  in  correct  proportion.  The  finished  cement  must  always 
be  within  a very  few  per  cent  of  a certain  standard,  the  variation 
being  slight.  For  detailed  statement  of  same  and  tests  applied, 
see  R.  L.  Humphreys’  report  on  cement  testing*.  The  curing  and 
setting  properties  of  cement  are  hastened  by  the  addition  of  gyp- 
sum, which  counterbalances  the  effects  of  over  liming.  This  should 
not  be  carried  too  far,  as  the  sulphates  are  more  or  less,  soluble. 
It  is  perhaps  owing  to  the  manipulation  of  tests  that  many  have 
begun  to  manifest  a distrust  of  cement  tests  in  general.  If  the 
tests  as  a whole  are  not  conclusive  as  to  the  merits  of  the  cement 
tested,  they  can  not  be  relied  upon,  and  measures  should  be  taken 
to  remodel  the  tests,  if  they  are  at  fault.  Averages  like  the  follow- 
ing, if  fairly  representative,  should  certainly  inspire  the  greatest 
confidence  in  our  finished  product. 

Average  of  four  Michigan  factories:  seven  days,  neat  710  pounds, 
three  parts  sand  235  pounds;  twenty-eight  days,  neat  824,  three 
parts  sand  358. 

To  compare  with  this  we  have  the  new  standard  specifications 
for  the  navy  given  above. 

§ 18.  Buildings. 

They  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  fire  proof  and  built  of  brick, 
cement  or  steel.  The  notices  of  loss  of  cement  mills  by  fire  are 

*For  discussion  of  Hydraulic  modulus  and  cement  mixtures  see  Cement  & Eng. 
News,  Aug.,  Sept..  1900;  June,  1901.  Also  pamphlet  from  their  press  by  S.  B.  New- 
berry. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  189 


very  frequent,  and  it  is  not  alone  the  loss  of  the  mill,  which  may 
be  partly  covered  by  insurance,  but  the  loss  of  time  and  the  cost 
of  delay  in  rebuilding  to  those  who  have  money  invested  and  should 
have  it  earning  interest  on  the  investment.  Furthermore,  the 
cement  runs  out  of  the  market  and  much  time  is  lost  in  getting 
new  contracts  and  building  up  the  trade  again.  On  this  account, 
the  mills  that  are  now  building,  are  using  fire  proof  material  as 
much  as  possible.  At  Lupton,  corrugated  steel  buildings,  with  a 
supporting  wall  of  six  or  seven  feet  of  brick,  are  recommended.  In 
Newaygo,  cement  was  to  be  used  largely.  For  views  of  plants  and 
detailed  ground  plan  of  same,  see  Plates  III,  V and  IX. 

As  near  as  can  be  ascertained,  to  October  4,  1901,  the  following 
is  the  condition  of  the  cement  industry  in  Michigan : 

Eight  factories  are  running  a total  of  48  rotaries,  which  is  an 
average  of  six  rotaries  per  factory. 

Nine  factories,  three  in  addition  to  those  mentioned,  intend  to 
put  into  operation  132  rotaries.  There  are  seven  other  factories 
silent  upon  the  subject  of  output,  which  are  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  the  State.  There  are  25  factories  in  the  State  which 
have  issued  prospectuses  or  become  incorporated,  either  under  the 
laws  of  this  or  other  states. 

Of  20  factories  whose  capitalization  could  be  ascertained  from 
prospectuses  or  other  sources,  the  lowest  capitalization  was 
$20,000,  the  highest  $5,000,000.  The  average  was  $1,004,500. 

For  statistics  showing  the  condition  of  cement  mills  and  market 
at  any  given  time,  consult  the  reports  of  the  Michigan  Commis- 
sioner of  Labor. 

The  proposed  cost  of  the  Newaygo  plant  is  to  be  about  $500,000, 
the  buildings  are  to  cover  five  acres,  and  to  hold  at  least  14  rotaries. 
The  Standard  Portland  cement  plant  will  be  equipped  with  an  out- 
fit costing  $350,000,  and  with  a working  capacity  of  1,000  barrels 
per  day.  F.  L.  Smidth  & Co.,  66  Maiden  Lane,  New  York,  estimate 
the  cost  of  buildings  and  apparatus  for  a 500  barrel  plant  at  $125,- 
000  to  $150,000,  depending  somewhat  upon  location.  This  seems 
much  lower  than  the  equipment  of  the  plants  which  are  actually 
building.  The  Elk  Rapids  plant  cost  about  $200,000. 

§ 19.  Review. 

In  review  of  this  chapter  a most  apparent  fact  is,  that  there  will 
be,  in  the  near  future,  severe  and  destructive  competition  in  Michi- 
gan. The  editor  of  the  Cement  and  Engineering  News  is  authority 


190 


MABL. 


for  the  statement  that  in  the  spring  of  1901,  contracts  were  closed 
for  Portland  cement  at  80  cents  per  barrel,  f.  o.  b.  The  Michigan 
factories  are  in  a comparatively  limited  area  and  must  nearly  all 
compete  in  the  same  markets.  At  the  average  estimated  cost  of 
the  cement  as  given  by  the  various  prospectuses  (68c),  the  addition 
of  very  high  freight  rates  will  destroy  the  profits  and  limit  the  area 
of  markets.  With  48  rotaries  going  and  132  to  be  running  in  the 
near  future,  the  actual  output  of  well  established  factories  wrill 
be  shortly  trebled. 

In  considering  these  figures  it  must  be  further  remembered  that 
a factory  just  started  niust  generally  introduce  its  brand  by  offering 
it  at  considerable  below  the  market  price,  to  obtain  a foothold  in 
the  market  at  once. 

A brief  enumeration  of  the  points  which  will  win  in  this  compe- 
tition are  as  follows: 

The  purest  raw  materials. 

The  largest  plant  with  the  strongest  machinery  purchasable.  A. 
H.  Cederburg  estimated  a decreased  cost  of  10c  per  barrel  upon 
doubling  the  output. 

Cheap  power,  either  through  available  water  power,  or  coal 
mined  on  site. 

Most  suitable  location  as  regards  raw  material,  fuel  and  market. 

The  more  of  the  above  requisites  possessed  by  any  one  factory, 
the  higher  will  be  its  profits. 

*At  present  (last  reading  of  page  proof,  Oct.  1902),  however  the  price  of  cement 
has  risen  again  and  is  over  $2.00  a barrel,  the  low  prices  mentioned  having  stimu- 
lated a demand  for  cement  in  many  new  directions,  with  which  the  supply  has  not 
kept  up.  Especially  in  constructional  work,  for  bridges  and  buildings,  as  well  as 
sidewalks  and  cellars,  a field  for  the  use  of  cement  has  opened  to  which  it  is  at 
present  hard  to  set  limits.  L. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 


j 

f 


VIEWS  IN  NEWAYGO  CEMENT  PLANT,  BY  R.  L HUMPHREY. 


MANUFACTUBE  OF  POBTLAND  CEMENT  FBOM  MABL.  191 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  MARL  AND  CLAY  PROPERTIES 
FOR  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT. 

BY  B.  B.  LATHBURY. 

The  exploitation  of  a marl  or  clay  deposit  involves  a large 
amount  of  labor,  and  with  it  the  necessity  of  an  accurate  and  care- 
ful investigation  of  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  materials,  their 
general  conditions,  together  with  their  advantages  characteristic 
of  the  site  from  both  an  engineering  and  an  economic  standpoint. 
During  the  past  few  years,  which  might  aptly  be  termed  the  con- 
struction period  of  the  Portland  cement  industry  in  the  State  of 
Michigan,  the  investigation  of  such  deposits  have  been  conducted 
on  purely  scientific  lines.  Briefly  described  the  method  of  pro- 
cedure, in  order  to  secure  accuracy  in  the  results  and  reliable 
figures  upon  which  to  base  financial  calculations  for  exhibiting 
the  proposition  as  an  attractive  investment,  is  as  follows: 

The  marl  deposits  should  first  be  carefully  surveyed  and  sound- 
ings located  at  convenient  points  over  the  entire  deposit,  from 
which  samples  of  the  marl  should  be  secured,  and  the  depths 
ascertained  for  each  sounding.  The  most  suitable  time  for  such 
an  investigation  is  the  winter,  when  the  water  over  the  deposits, 
if  located  in  a lake  bed,  is  usually  frozen.  This  permits  meridian 
lines  being  laid  out  over  the  entire  surface,  thus  forming  squares  of 
known  size,  at  the  corners  of  which  holes  can  be  bored  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  depths  and  quality  of  the  material.  Field  notes  are 
usually  kept  of  such  an  investigation,  and  the  samples  are  care- 
fully preserved  with  the  number  of  the  hole  from  which  they  are 
taken.  The  distance  apart  of  each  sounding  or  bore  hole  depends 
in  a great  measure  upon  the  uniformity  of  the  material  and  the 
variation  in  depth  of  the  deposit,  but  generally  speaking,  on  a 
plat  laid  out  in  measured  squares,  the  lines  of  which  are  located 
by  a transit,  bore  holes  can  be  made  every  300  or  200  feet.  The 
survey  should  then  be  accurately  platted,  a map  made  showing  the 
boundaries  of  the  deposit,  together  with  the  location  and  depth 
of  all  bore  holes,  their  consecutive  number  on  the  plat,  and  if  the 


192 


MARL. 


deposit  is  under  water,  the  depth  of  water  oyer  the  surface  of  the 
marl. 

The  examination  of  a marl  bed  underlying  a body  of  water  is 
much  more  difficult  and  less  accurate  if  made  when  there  is  no  ice 
covering  the  surface  of  the  water.  Under  such  conditions,  it  is 
generally  usual  to  survey  the  boundary  lines  of  the  lake,  establish- 
ing stations  at  measured  distances  on  the  banks,  and  from  these 
points,  with  the  aid  of  a boat,  secure  samples  and  make  soundings, 
in  practically  the  same  manner  as  a hydrographical  survey  is  con- 
ducted. The  boat  is  rowed  over  imaginary  lines  between  the 
stations  on  the  shore,  borings  being  made  and  samples  taken  at 
intervals  over  the  deposit.  If  the  deposit  of  marl  occurs  in  a dry 
state  or  underlying  a swamp,  the  examination  is  conducted  by 
laying  out  meridian  lines  over  an  established  survey,  the  borings 
and  samples  being  taken  from  the  intersection  of  all  lines  forming 
squares. 

The  next  course  to  pursue  is  to  submit  the  samples  of  marl  to 
some  competent  testing  laboratory  familiar  with  the  manufacture  of 
cement  by  whom  the  samples  should  be  carefully  analyzed  and 
determinations  made  for  the  following  ingredients : 

Calcium  oxide,  silica,  combined  oxides  of  iron  and  alumina,  mag- 
nesium oxide,  sulphuric  anhydride,  together  with  the  loss  on 
ignition.  Determinations  can  be  made  for  alkalies  and  other  ele- 
ments, but  as  they  exist  in  such  minute  quantities,  their  determina- 
tion will  not  prove  of  commercial  value.  The  other  ingredient  to 
be  considered  is  the  clay  or  shale.  Clays  throughout  the  State  of 
Michigan  are  usually  found  in  a blue  color,  but  when  existing  in 
connection  with  the  marls,  they  usually  carry  a higher  magnesium 
content  than  is  desirable  for  the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement. 
On  the  other  hand  the  suitable  shales,  though  comparatively  scarce, 
are  notably  free  from  deleterious  elements,  and  better  adapted  for 
Portland  cement  purposes. 

An  examination  of  either  the  clay  or  shale  deposits  should  be 
conducted  on  the  same  lines  as  those  pursued  for  the  marl  investi- 
gation, analyses  being  made  on  the  samples  of  clay  in  order  to 
determine  their  uniformity  and  quality.  The  elements  to  be  deter- 
mined in  the  chemical  analyses  are  similar  in  all  respects  to  those 
enumerated  for  marl,  with  the  exceptions  of  the  oxides  of  iron 
and  alumina  should  be  separated.  In  all  cases  after  the  examina- 
tion has  been  made,  the  data  should  be  collected  and  a careful 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  193 


computation  made  of  the  quantities  of  suitable  marl  and  clay 
occurring  in  each  deposit.  Then  assuming  as  a conservative  unit, 
that  one  square  yard  of  marl  will  manufacture  two  and  a half 
barrels  of  cement,  it  is  readily  computed  the  number  of  barrels  of 
cement  that  can  be  manufactured  from  the  deposit  and  the  number 
of  years  a mill  of  given  capacity  will  run. 

In  general,  a marl  of  good  quality  should  contain  over  50$  of 
calcium  oxide,  with  not  over  1J$  magnesium  oxide,  and  less  than 
2 of  either  silica,  combined  iron  and  alumina  oxide,  or  sulphuric 
acid.  Although  there  are  many  marls  found  in  the  State  of  Michi- 
gan containing  less  than  50$  calcium  oxide  having  the  other 
ingredients  in  proper  proportions,  these  low  lime  marls  usually  con- 
tain a high  per  cent  of  organic  matter  which  represents  so  much  loss 
in  the  available  quantity  of  marl.  However,  such  marls  can  be 
used  for  the  manufacture  of  a high  grade  of  Portland  cement,  pro- 
vided a suitable  clay  or  shale  is  used  in  conjunction  with  them. 
A clay  or  shale  of  good  chemical  proportion  should  contain  in 
general,  not  less  than  two  parts  of  silica,  to  one  part  of  combined 
iron  and  alumina,  while  the  oxide  of  magnesia  should  not  be  over 
3$,  and  the  sulphuric  acid  less  than  2$.  The  clays  throughout 
Michigan  usually  contain  a small  lime  content,  but  this  is  not 
detrimental  to  their  use  for  Portland  cement  mixture,  provided 
care  is  exercised  in  correctly  proportioning  the  two  ingredients  if 
the  magnesia  content  is  low.  As  a rule  it  will  be  found  that  clays 
carrying  over  10$  of  lime  will  be  too  high  in  magnesia. 

The  quality  and  quantity  of  the  marl,  clay  or  shale  deposits 
having  been  found  satisfactory  and  the  capacity  of  the  mill  been 
decided  upon,  the  services  of  competent  engineers  should  be  en- 
gaged to  prepare  plans  and  make  a final  report  on  the  property,  and 
which  report  is  usually  used  in  connection  with  the  prospectus  for 
promoting  the  financial  interests  of  the  corporation. 

A matter  of  great  importance,  which  should  be  carefully  investi- 
gated, before  the  erection  of  a plant,  is  that  referring  to  freight 
rates.  This  question  applies  not  only  to  the  advantages  derived 
from  securing  low  rates  for  the  shipment  of  cement  to  main  dis- 
tributing centers,  but  also  to  the  careful  consideration  and  selec- 
tion of  a site  for  the  erection  of  a plant.  Generally  speaking,  it 
is  more  desirable  to  erect  a plant  alongside  of  the  marl  deposit, 
but  in  some  cases  direct  water  and  rail  shipment  can  be  made  by 
erecting  the  factory  some  distance  from  the  marl  and  clay  deposit, 
25-Pt.  Ill 


194 


MARL. 


provided  a low  guaranteed  rate  can  be  secured,  and  the  haul  is  not 
too  great,  for  the  transfer  of  both  the  marl  and  clay  from  the 
deposits  to  the  mill  site.  A plant  so  located  possesses  many  un- 
disputed advantages. 

The  cost  of  a modern  rotary  Portland  cement  plant  varies 
largely  with  the  character  of  the  buildings  and  the  mechanical 
equipment.  A plant  thoroughly  up  to  date  in  mechanical  equip- 
ment, using  electricity  for  the  transmission  of  power,  and  with 
steel  frame  buildings  having  brick  sides,  can  usually  be  figured  at 
$50,000  for  each  rotary  kiln  completely  installed.  Each  kiln  has 
an  average  capacity  of  about  125  barrels  per  day,  but  its  daily 
capacity  varies  with  the  size  of  the  kiln,  skill  of-  the  operator, 
fusibility  of  the  slurry  burned,  and  general  conditions  of  the  plant. 
In  general,  therefore,  it  is  safe  to  assume  the  cost  of  construction 
at  $400.00  for  each  barrel  of  cement  to  be  produced.  This,  however, 
does  not  allow  a working  capital,  which  in  round  figures  should  be 
20^  of  the  total  cost  of  the  plant.  It  represents,  however,  the  entire 
cost  and  equipment  of  a thoroughly  modern  and  up  to  date  plant 
manufacturing  Portland  cement  by  the  wet  process,  either  from 
marl  and  clay  or  marl  and  shale,  including  such  equipment  as  is 
needed  for  excavating  and  handling  the  raw  material.  The  most 
economical  process  would  necessarily  embody  such  machinery  as 
would  eliminate  manual  labor  and  reduce  the  cost  of  repairs  to  a 
minimum.  Such  an  equipment  is  contemplated  in  this  estimate, 
and  would  include  disintegrators  for  the  marl  and  clay,  tube  mills 
for  grinding,  and  pumps  for  handling  the  slurry,  sufficient  storage 
capacity  for  both  the  clay  and  marl  ingredients,  and  also  for  the 
slurry  mixture  of  the  two  previous  to  being  transferred  to  the  kilns. 
These  storage  tanks  to  be  equipped  with  suitable  agitators  in  order 
that  the  slurry  may  be  kept  in  a state  of  constant  motion.  Kilns 
60  feet  long  by  six  feet  in  diameter  to  be  used,  equipped  with 
pulverized  coal  for  burning  the  slurry.  Suitable  cooling  arrange- 
ments should  be  provided  for  storing  and  cooling  the  hot  clinker 
before  it  is  finally  ground  into  cement ; the  stockhouse  so  de- 
signed that  the  bins  wall  automatically  discharge  the  finished 
cement  into  conveyors  which  carry  it  to  the  packing  room,  while 
the  packing  room  would  contain  automatic  packers  for  both  barrels 
and  bags.  The  plant  would  be  thoroughly  equipped  with  a heavy 
and  durable  elevating  and  conveying  system  in  order  to  handle 
both  the  raw  and  finished  materials. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  195 


Most  of  the  plants  heretofore  erected  have  utilized  shafting  for 
the  transmission  of  power,  but  experiments  made  in  one  or  two 
mills  have  demonstrated  the  adaptability  of  electrical  installation, 
doing  away  entirely  with  troublesome  line  shafts  and  cumbersome 
and  unsightly  piers  upon  which  the  shafting  bearings  necessarily 
rest. 

Several  of  the  modern  plants,  at  present  under  construction  in 
the  State  of  Michigan  are  installing  electricity  for  the  transmission 
of  power.  Such  an  installation  costs  about  10$  more  than  the 
installation  of  shafting  for  transmitting,  power,  but  it  effects  a 
considerable  saving  in  the  floor  area  of  the  buildings,  as  shafting 
transmission  of  power  necessarily  requires  buildings  with  larger 
floor  space.  In  maintenance,  the  electrical  equipment  is  probably 
less  in  cost  of  a cement  plant  than  the  shafting,  though  no  accurate 
data  is  yet  obtainable  upon  which  to  base  a comparison. 

In  the  matter  of  engines  and  boilers,  it  is  desirable  to  use  com- 
pound condensing  engines  with  water  tube  boilers,  and  if  the 
capacity  of  the  plant  is  over  1,000  barrels  per  day,  automatic 
stokers  should  be  provided.  Approximately  it  requires  about  one 
horse  power  for  every  barrel  of  cement  capacity. 

Electrical  installation  can  be  made  with  either  the  direct  or 
alternating  current.  Between  these  two  systems  there  is  very  little 
difference  in  the  first  cost  of  installation.  The  dynamos  and  motors 
for  the  alternating  current  are  more  costly  than  the  same  machin- 
ery built  for  the  direct  current,  but  the  saving  in  the  general 
system  of  wiring  and  connections  for  the  alternating  current  about 
offsets  the  extra  cost  of  the  wiring  and  connections  of  the  direct 
current  system.  While  both  systems  are  equally  adapted  for  direct 
connected  or  belted  drives,  direct  current  installations  with  separate 
motors  driving  each  machine  have  been  most  generally  used,  although 
there  are  now  in  operation  two  plants,  one  using  alternating  current 
and  the  other  direct  current  motors,  in  which  each  machine  is  di- 
rectly connected  without  the  intervention  of  belt  or  shafting  to  the 
motor  driving  it. 

Between  the  two  systems  of  power  transmission,  that  is,  shafting 
and  electricity,  the  latter  is  probably  the  more  economical,  but  to 
offset  this,  it  requires  more  skilled  care  and  attention.  Electricity, 
however,  has  one  great  advantage,  in  that  it  offers  a more  flexible 
plant,  wherein  power  can  better  be  distributed  and  economy  ob- 


196 


MAUL. 


served  by  the  operation  of  any  combination  of  machines,  under 
all  conditions. 

Aside  from  the  correct  proportioning,  mixing,  and  burning  of 
the  slurry  to  a proper  degree  of  hardness,  the  power  plant  is  a 
department  upon  which  great  care  and  thought  should  be  exercised. 
As  coal  represents  such  a large  item  in  the  cost  of  production,  the 
power  plant  installed  should  be  such  that  the  highest  economy 
and  efficiency  can  be  obtained. 

The  cost  of  construction  of  a rotary  plant  can  be  reduced  to 
1300.00  for  each  barrel  of  the  capacity  by  the  use  of  steel  buildings 
covered  with  corrugated  iron  sides  and  roof,  the  omission  of  elec- 
trical equipment  and  the  installation  of  a less  costly  power  plant. 
The  cost  of  construction  can  be  still  further  reduced  by  the  con- 
struction of  frame  buildings  and  the  omission  of  all  labor-saving 
devices  throughout  the  plant  which  would  necessitate  the  handling 
of  a large  part  of  the  raw,  unfinished  product  by  manual  labor. 
Such  construction  would  necessarily  increase  the  cost  of  produc- 
tion of  the  finished  cement  and  thereby  decrease  the  profits. 

The  preceding  outlines  contemplated  the  use  exclusively  of  rotary 
kilns,  but  there  is  yet  an  entirely  different  system  which  can  be 
installed,  and  for  which  the  cost  of  erection  would  not  exceed 
|200.00  for  each  barrel  of  the  capacity.  This  refers  more  particu- 
larly to  the  installation  of  set  kilns,  together  with  such  machinery 
for  mixing  and  grinding  the  marl  and  clay  or  marl  and  shale  in  a 
semi-plastic  condition,  forming  same  into  bricks  which  are  after- 
wards dried  and  then  burning  the  raw  material  in  some  form  of  a 
set  kiln.  The  Dietsch  and  Scliofer  kilns,  classed  as  the  best  of  this 
type,  require  the  expenditure  of  a large  amount  of  manual  labor 
in  order  to  prepare  the  raw  material,  charge  the  kilns  and  handle 
the  clinker,  after  it  has  been  thoroughly  burned.  Small  consider- 
ation is  given  to  this  method  of  manufacture  in  this  country  at 
the  present  time,  and  it  has  been  almost  entirely  superseded  by 
the  rotary  kiln,  principally  because  of  the  increased  production  of 
the  rotary  kiln  over  the  set  kiln,  and  the  opportunities  offered  with 
the  rotary  system  of  utilizing  mechanical  devices  for  handling  the 
raw  and  finished  products,  and  thus  effecting  a large  saving  in  the 
item  of  labor.  Assuming  the  capacity  of  a rotary  plant  at  1,000 
barrels  per  day,  it  requires  about  nine  months  to  complete  the 
erection,  and  about  three  months  thereafter,  or  one  year  after 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PORTLAND  CEMENT  FROM  MARL.  107 


starting  erection,  before  it  is  in  full  running  order,  and  turning  out 
its  maximum  capacity  of  marketable  cement. 

With  the  progress  made  in  the  Portland  cement  industry  during 
the  past  five  years,  it  is  not  a profitable  venture  to  install  less  than 
three  or  four  kilns  on  the  erection  of  a new  plant,  and  the 
plant  should  be  so  designed  that  the  buildings  can  be  readily  in- 
creased and  the  capacity  doubled  or  tripled  without  interfering 
in  any  way  with  the  operation  of  the  initial  plant.  The  larger 
profits  in  the  present  condition  of  the  cement  market  are  to  be 
derived  from  large  productions. 

During  the  construction  of  the  plant  it  is  absolutely  important 
that  careful  consideration  be  given  to  the  selection  of  a competent 
superintendent,  master  mechanic,  electrician  and  chief  chemist, 
in  order  that  they  may  report  for  duty  during  the  last  stages  of  con- 
struction, and  thus  become  familiar  with  the  plant.  These  heads 
representing  the  executive  force  at  the  mill,  should  be  men  who 
have  a thorough  experience  and  knowledge  in  the  manufacture 
of  Portland  cement,  operating  under  similar  conditions.  Upon  the 
skill  of  these  men  depend  in  a large  measure,  the  prospective 
profits  to  be  derived  from  the  investment.  Many  mistakes  have 
heretofore  been  made  by  filling  these  positions  at  the  mill  with 
men  who  have  had  no  experience  in  the  manufacture  of  cement. 
Upon  these  men,  working  in  harmony  with  a careful  and  efficient 
higher  management,  depends  in  a measure  the  success  of  the 
venture.  It  is  generally  conceded  by  all  who  have  had  experience 
in  the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement  that  it  is  one  of  the  most 
difficult  and  trying  lines  of  manufacture.  This  is  due  to  the  ex- 
cessive wear  and  tear  on  the  machinery,  due  to  the  hard  and  con- 
stant use  to  which  it  is  put,  requiring  constant  watchfulness  in 
order  to  detect  defects  and  wearing  parts,  with  skill  and  judgment, 
in  remedying  the  same  before  final  breakdowns  occur,  necessitating 
the  shutting  down  of  the  entire  plant. 

The  cost  of  manufacture  varies  greatly  in  each  plant,  ranging 
from  80  cents  to  $1.40  per  barrel  of  cement  produced.  This  varia- 
tion depends  on  several  reasons,  principal  among  which  is  the  gen- 
eral design  and  construction  of  the  plant,  efficiency  of  the  entire  man- 
agement, daily  condition  of  the  machinery,  cost  of  all  raw  materials 
delivered  at  the  mill,  including  marl,  clay,  and  coal,  and  cost  of 
labor  and  size  of  the  mill. 


198 


MARL. 


A brief  summary  of  the  foregoing  facts  would  therefore  tend  to 
show  that  a cement  proposition  should  be  carefully  handled  from 
the  earliest  stages  of  its  development,  until  the  plant  is  finally 
erected,  after  which  the  success  or  failure  of  the  venture  depends 
in  a great  measure  on  the  skill  and  competency  of  the  engineers 
who  have  erected  the  plant  and  reported  on  the  general  conditions 
favorable  to  manufacture,  together  with  the  general  management 
selected  to  handle  the  business  of  the  company. 


The  views  accompanying  this  article  are  as  follows : 

Plate  IV.  General  exterior  view  of  an  eleven-kiln  plant. 

Plate  V.  General  plan  of  a complete  plant  having  an  instal- 

lation of  four  kilns  with  sufficient  floor  space  for  in- 
stalling the  necessary  grinding  machinery  to  bring 
the  capacity  up  to  1,000  barrels  per  day,  which  would 
only  necessitate  the  extension  of  the  kiln  building. 

Plate  VI.  General  interior  view,  showing  a modern  slurry  de- 
partment in  operation. 


Plate  VII.  General  view  showing  a modern  rotary  kiln  60  feet 
long  by  6 feet  in  diameter. 

Plate  VIII.  General  interior  view  showing  the  front  hoods  of  a 
battery  of  eight  rotary  kilns  with  hot  clinker  eleva- 
tors, pulverized  coal  bins  with  apparatus  and  piping 
for  forcing  coal  into  the  kilns. 


Plate  IX.  General  plan  of  a complete  plant  having  an  instal- 
lation of  three  kilns,  without  provision  for  future 
extension. 

Plate  XIII.  General  interior  view  showing  batteries  of  ball  and 
tube  mills  in  operation  grinding  Portland  cement 
clinker. 

Plate  XIV.  Four  views  as  follows : 


A.  A modern  office  building  with  chemical  and  physi- 

cal laboratories  and  a few  sleeping  rooms  for 
superintendent  and  his  assistants. 

B.  View  showing  section  of  a stockhouse  under  con- 

struction to  have  self-discharging  bins. 

C.  View  showing  bottom  of  concrete  slurry  pits  under 

construction,  with  piping  and  valves  being  set 
in  position  for  handling  the  slurry  mixture. 

D.  View  showing  a dry  marl  deposit  with  car  and 

steel  rope  attached,  for  hauling  the  marl  from 
the  bed  to  the  slurry  department  of  the  mill. 

General  exterior  of  a four-kiln  plant. 


Plate  XV. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan.  Vol.  VIII  Part  III  Plate  XIII. 


( 


GENERAL  INTERIOR  VIEW  SHOWING  TUBE  MILLS 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 


Vol.  VIII  Part  III  Plate  XIV. 


A. — Office  building  with  laboratories,  etc. 

B. — Stockhouse  with  self  discharging  bins  under  construction. 

C. — Bottom  of  concrete  slurry  pits  under  construction. 

D. — Dry  marl  deposit  with  hauling  arrangement. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan.  ^°1*  ^art  I*1  Plate  XV. 


GENERAL  EXTERIOR  VIEW  OE  A FOUR  KILN  PLANT. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES. 

BY  A.  C.  LANE. 

§ 1.  Introduction. 

It  was  the  original  intention  to  have  this  report  prepared  en- 
tirely by  Mr.  Hale,  but  the  subject  grew  upon  him,  just  as  the  Port- 
land cement  industry  has  grown  in  the  State.  Moreover,  work  like 
that  which  Mr.  Davis,  and  Lathbury  and  Spackman  have  done 
seemed  too  large  to  be  incorporated  without  credit  to  them  as 
authors.  Other  information  also  kept  coming  in  which  deserved 
an  incorporation,  that  I could  myself,  with  less  delay  than  any 
other,  perform,  and  at  the  same  time  insert  some  comments  on  the 
theories  of  the  origin  of  boglimes,  presented  by  the  others,  that  I 
could  not  very  well  insert  into  their  papers. 

§ 2.  Origin  of  boglime,  chemical  considerations. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  in  discussing  the  origin  of  these  fresh 
water  lime  oozes,  limestone  doughs,  so  to  speak,  that  it  is  perfectly 
possible  for  more  than  one  method  of  formation  to  produce  very  sim- 
ilar material.  It  is  possible  that  the  Indiana  geologists  may  be 
right1  in  their  conclusions  as  to-  the  origin  of  their  deposits,  and 
Davis  and  Hale  also  right  as  to  the  origin  of  those  boglimes  they 
have  studied.  But  the  crucial  point  in  discussing  any  theory  of 
purely  chemical  precipitation  is  this’:  Is  there  any  evidence  of  such 
saturation  of  ground  water  with  calcium  bicarbonate,  that  any  loss 
of  temperature  and  pressure  likely  to  exist  will  cause  precipita- 
tion by  purely  chemical  means?  Therein  lies  the  importance  of  the 
tests  made  by  and  for  Mr.  Hale,  given  above2  and  we  may  also 
compare,  for  the  hardness  of  spring  water,  analyses  52-80  of  my 
paper  on  the  water  analyses  of  this  State.3  In  these  CaC03  varies 
from  0.12  to  0.40  parts  per  thousand,4  yet  in  only  five  cases  is  it 

twenty-fifth  Annual  Report,  p.  48. 

2PP.  46  and  118. 

3U.  S.  G.  S.,  Water  Supply  Paper  No.  30. 

4Grams  per  kilogram,  ounces  per  cubic  foot  nearly. 


200 


MARL. 


over  .20  of  carbonate  or  bicarbonate.  To  these  analyses  may  be 
added  one  of  the  Owosso  mineral  water  which  is  a natural  spring, 
flowing  from  the  side  of  the  hill  about  11  barrels  a minute,  at  a 
temperature  of  50°  F. 

Parts  per  M. 


Calcium  bicarbonate 367 

Magnesium  bicarbonate 273 

Iron  bicarbonate 227 

Sodium  and  potassium  chlorides 030 

Silica  and  alumina 009 


.906 


Mr.  J.  G.  Dean  of  the  Peninsula  cement  plant  informs  me  that 
the  water  of  Goose  Lake,  near  the  mouth  of  their  intake  yielded: 


CaO  

MgO 

(Fe,Al),03 

Si02  

so; 

C02 

(Na,K)  20 


.110 

.044 

tr. 

.004 

.014 

.108 

.004 


.284 

This  implies  .262  parts  per  thousand  of  calcium  and  magnesium 
carbonate,  and  if  this  is  saturation  for  average  lake  conditions, 
then  about  one-tliird  of  the  ground  waters  above  referred  to  reach 
it. 

Treadwell  and  Reuter  made  no  researches  on  the  solubilities  of 
calcium  and  magnesium  carbonates  together  in  the  same  solution, 
but  as  they  find  that  calcium  carbonate  may  exist  to  the  extent 
of  only  .238  parts  per  thousand,  if  no  free  C02  is  present,  it  must 
be  near  the  point  of  saturation. 

The  solubilities  of  the  carbonates  are  so  important  and  the  paper 
is  so  comparatively  inaccessible  here,  and  besides  has  a number 
of  misprints,  and  misplacements  of  text,  which  Mr.  Treadwell  has 
kindly  corrected  for  me,  that  I think  it  worth  while  to  give  the 
following  summary  in  the  hope  that  some  of  our  cement  factory 
chemists  may  feel  impelled  to  continue  an  investigation,  in  which 
the  survey  might  cooperate. 


NOTES  ON  THE  OlilGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  201 


Abstract  of  article  ( ‘ Ueber  die  Loeslichkeit  der  Bicarbonate  des  Calciums 
und  Magnesiums  von  F.  P.  Treadwell  and  M.  Reuter  ” with  11  figures  in 
the  text.  Zeitschrift  filr  Anorganische  Chemie,  Vol.  17,  p.  170. 

It  is  well  known  that  bicarbonated  water  gradually  becomes 
cloudy  upon  exposure  to  the  air,  while  calcium  carbonate  separates 
as  a thin  crystalline  film  on  the  surface  of  the  fluid,  and  that  the 
separation  increases  as  the  absorbed  C02  escapes.  It  follows  that 
if  calcium  bicarbonate  was  in  solution,  the  solubility  of  the  same 
stands  in  relation  to  the  free  C02.  Data  as  to  the  solubility  of  this 


Fig.  16. 

salt  are  rare  in  literature;  indeed,  its  very  existence  has  been  doubt- 
ed. It  was  accordingly  of  interest  to  investigate  the  existence  and 
solubility  in  carbonated  and  non-carbonated  waters  of  bicarbonates 
especially  of  the  alkaline  earths.  Calcium,  magnesium,  and  sodium 
bicarbonate  came  within  the  range  of  investigation.  The  method 
employed  for  the  special  case  of  the  calcium  salt  may  be  briefly 
sketched. 

Distilled  water  was  saturated  with  C02  and  CaO  in  a closed 
bottle,  the  partial  pressure  of  the  C02  on  the  fluid  being  one  atmos- 
phere, i.  e.,  the  gas  above  the  water  was  pure  C02. 

26-Pt.  Ill 


202 


MARL. 


Fig.  16  shows  the  apparatus  used  for  filtering  off  the  water  from 
the  upper  bottle  f,  where  the  quicklime  was  to  the  lower  F without 
allowing  access  of  air  and  loss  of  pressure  of  carbon  dioxide. 

The  solution,  filling  about  the  half  of  a large  bottle,  remained 
after  filtration  but  without  alteration  of  the  partial  pressure,  clear 
for  days,*  and  the  per  cent  of  CaO  does  not  alter  in  the  slightest,  as  is 
evident  from  the  analyses  below. 

A part  of  the  C02  above  the  water  was  replaced  by  air,  until 
separation  of  carbonates  was  observable.  This  is  the  point  at 
which  the  most  possible  CaO  can  be  taken  up,  for  the  temperature 
and  pressure  then  prevailing.  By  successive  lessening  of  the  par- 
tial pressure  of  the  C02  the  calcium  was  more  and  more  separated, 
until  finally  when  the  partial  pressure  reduced  to  0,  no  further 
alteration  in  the  lime  took  place.  The  water  then  contained,  as  was 
shown  by  analyses,  calcium  and  C02  exactly  in  the  radio  to  form 
bicarbonate.  Accordingly  an  aqueous  solution  of  calcium  bicarbon- 
ate is  present. 

The  problem  was  then  to  determine  exactly  at  each  time  the 
partial  pressure  of  the  C02  resting  upon  the  fluid  as  well  as  the 
per  cent  of  CaO  and  C02  in  the  solution.  To  this  end  the  apparatus 
illustrated  by  Fig.  17  was  used. 

The  bottles  ¥t  and  F2  contain  two  of  the  solutions. to  be  investi- 
gated separately.  The  gas  is  drawn  out  through  the  tubes  r2. 
These  are  perforated  at  distances  of  about  2cm  in  their  vertical 
parts  (so  as  to  get  a fair  sample  of  air),  and  outside  of  the  neck  of 
the  bottle  are  bent  at  right  angles.  The  horizontal  parts  have 
glass  stopcocks,  ht  and  h3,  and  T pieces,  and  t2,  and  n1  and  n3  are 
pressure  level  tubes,  which  can  also  be  closed  by  stopcocks.  Mer- 
cury is  the  fluid  that  fills  them.  In  their  prolongation  the  tubes 
open  into  the  common  capillary  C,  which  has  a small  funnel,  n2, 
above,  and  below  is  closed  by  a thick  walled  rubber  pipe  and 
clamp.  The  arrangement  is  to  avoid  as  far  as  may  be,  the  injur- 
ious space  between  the  cocks  h1  and  h3  and  the  opening  of  the  cap- 
illary pipette.  If  the  cocks  h1?  h3  and  s are  closed  and  the  other 
cocks  open,  by  raising  the  level  tubes  n±  and  n3,  all  of  the  air  will  be 

*The  experiments  were  performed  at  a constant  temperature  and  pressure.  The 
mean  temperature  of  15  degrees  Celsius  was  chosen  (59°  F.),  which  it  was  possible 
to  keep  exactly  only  by  placing  the  apparatus  in  a room  which  was  not  subject  to 
great  variations  (amounting  to  1 to  2 tenths  of  a degree  during  the  whole  investi- 
gation). 

The  slight  differences  in  the  temperature  could  be  neglected  but  the  variations 
in  pressure  were  considerable,  so  that  all  the  data  had  to  be  reduced  to  the  normal 
conditions  of  0 degrees  and  760  mm.  of  mercury  pressure. 


NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  203 

forced  out  of  the  tube  system  and  the  same  will  be  gradually  filled 
with  mercury.  When  this  has  risen  to  the  desired  height  in  n2,  q4,  h2 
and  h4  are  closed,  and  the  thick  tube  at  s is  fitted  over  the  pipette 
filled  completely  with  mercury.  The  suction  is  applied  at  O (by  a 
Sprengel  pump)  while  the  cocks  s and  h (or  h3)  is  opened  until 
the  globe  of  the  pipette  is  full  and  then  s is  closed.  It  is  advisable 
to  repeat  this  operation  two  or  three  times.  After  the  last  time, 
first  h4  or  h3  is  shut  and  the  capillary  of  the  pipette  is  filled  with 
mercury  by  opening  the  clamp  of  q4  a moment.  The  gas  is  now 


ready  for  analysis,  which  was  done  by  Hempel’s  Exacter  method. 
(Gas  analytische  metbode,  p.  45.) 

The  analysis  of  the  solution  falls  into  two  parts. 

a.  Determination  of  the  total  C02. 

b.  Determination  of  CaO  and  combined  C02. 

Here  also  it  is  important  to  obtain  an  average  sample,  for  it  is 
clear  that  the  .water  does  not  give  off  its  absorbed  C02  equally  in 
each  horizontal  stratum.  The  upper  layers  lose  the  most,  the  lower 
the  least  gas.  Referring  again  to  Fig.  17,  the  tube  x goes  through 
a perforation  in  the  rubber  cork.  It  is  bent  inside  the  tube  and 


204 


MARL. 


perforated  in  the  ascending  part  at  distances  of  1cm.  It  works  like 
a syphon.  Any  carbonate  crystals  possibly  taken  with  the  fluid 
are  held  back  in  the  little  filters  at  f.  These  are  short  glass  tubes, 
somewhat  expanded  at  the  end,  the  cone  of  which  is  best  packed 
with  asbestos.  Upon  this  goes  a rubber  tube,  which  ends  in  a short 
glass  tube,  over  which,  to  prevent  evaporation,  a short  test  tube 
is  tightly  fitted.  By  light  pressing  on  the  clamp,  q2,  any  amount  of 
water  desired  can  be  taken. 

The  small  flask  A*  (Fig.  18)  is  exactly  gaged  by  weighing  with 
water  filled  up  to  a certain  mark,  and  can  be  closed  by  a rubber 
cork  through  which  goes  a & shaped  glass  tube  (R)  which  has  a 
side  opening  a little  above  the  end  of  one  of  the  forks  which  is 


Fig.  18. 


closed.  To  fill  the  flask  a fine  aluminum  wire  is  put  into  it,  the 
water  to  be  tested  is  allowed  to  flow  in  as  quickly  as  possible  along 
the  side,  it  is  corked  at  once  and  the  tube  R raised  so  that  the  side 
opening  is  in  the  rubber  cork,  and  the  outer  air  fully  excluded. 
The  tube  R is  thoroughly  washed  with  distilled  water,  the  upper 
end  joined  to  the  graduated  tube  B and  the  side  fork  of  R 
is  connected  with  a reservoir  of  HCI  (S)  f by  the  rubber 
tube  N,  wilich  is  closed  by  a clamp.  The  rubber  connections  are 
tightly  tied,  then  the  sphere  K emptied  by  lowering  the  mercury 
reservoir  D and  closing  the  cock  L.  The  air  which  is  now  in  B,  by 
proper  turning  the  cock  L and  raising  the  reservoir  P again,  may 
be  driven  out  of  the  apparatus,  after  taking  away  the  rubber  con- 


*Treadwell  “Analyse  der  Passugger  Mineralquellen.’’ 
tThis  figure  is  omitted. 


NOTES  ON  THE  OBIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOG  LIMES.  205 

nection  to  the  Orsat  tube.  Repeating  this  operation  several  times, 
K is  finally  emptied.  Now  pressing  the  tubes  R carefully  into  the 
cork  so  far  that  the  side  opening  appears  below  it,  the  HC1  finds  its 
way  into  the  flask  A and  there  is  a lively  evolution  of  gas,  and  the 
mercury  falls  rapidly  in  B.*  When  it  is  about  three-fourths  full, 
the  reservoir  D is  suddenly  lowered  and  the  cock  L closed.  In  the 
meantime  the  Orsat  tube  O,  full  of  potash  (K20)  has  been  con- 
nected with  D and  the  gas  is  driven  (noting  the  volume,  tempera- 
ture, and  height  of  barometer)  from  D into  it,  by  turning  L and 
raising  D. 

Then  the  connection  between  A and  B is  restored  and  another 
lot  of  gas  generated.  If  the  gas  comes  too  slow,  the  flask  A may 
be  warmed,  under  certain  special  precautions. 

Finally  when  only  a little  gas  is  given  off  a few  c.c.  of  HC1  (1:2) 
are  put  into  the  flask  A,  and  finally,  more  is  added  and  boiled 
but  with  care  that  no  water  goes  over  into  B. 

After  all  the  C02  of  the  expelled  gas  has  been  fully  absorbed,  and 
the  amount  of  water  vapor  subtracted  from  the  sum  of  the  total 
readings,  the  volume  of  total  0O2  is  thus  obtained.  The  operation 
takes  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an  hour. 

Lime.  The  lime  Was  titrated  with  1-10  normal  HC1,  using  methyl 
orange  as  indicator. 

The  partial  pressure  (amount  of  C02  in  overlying  atmosphere)  is 
lessened,  as  was  remarked  at  the  beginning  by  replacing  a part  of 
the  C02  over  the  fluid  by  air.  The  tubes  r2  and  r3  with  their  pro- 
longations, tx  and  t2  serve  the  purpose;  these  outside  the  bottles  are 
bent  at  right  angles  and  closed  by  rubber  tube  and  clamp,  and  fit 
snugly  into  the  hole  of  the  cork,  but  can  yet  be  moved  up  and 
down  in  the  same. 

The  process  is  as  follows:  The  ends  of  the  rubber  tube  at  tx  and 
t2  are  taken  off.  The  clamps  qx  opened  and  from  tx  and  t2  the  air 
sucked  with  an  air  pump.  If  one  wishes  to  lessen  the  partial 
pressure  but  slowly,  the  gas  is  replaced  by  air  without  admitting 
the  air  through  the  fluid.  The  partial  pressure  decreases  much 
faster  if  the  air  is  allowed  to.  enter  through  the  solution,  after  that 
diluting  the  atmosphere  charged  with  C02  that  rests  on  the  surface 
of  the  water.  Finally  the  apparatus  is  closed  and  in  either  case  one 
must  wait  several  days  for  equilibrium  to  be  established. 


*Care  is  to  be  taken  that  the  pressure  is  less  than  an  atmosphere. 


206 


MARL. 


1.  Calcium  bicarbonate. 

For  the  details  of  process  of  formation  and  filtration  without 
change  of  pressure  from  quicklime  and  water  charged  with  C02, 
reference  must  be  made  to  the  original  Experiment  1.  Solution  was 
kept  in  a room  of  constant  temperature  24  hours.  The  solution 
which  stood  under  the  pressure  of  one  atmosphere  C02  was  analyzed 
four  successive  days  and  the  total  C02  and  CaO  found  constant,  to 
wit : 2.854  parts  per  thousand  of  C02  and  1.156  Ca  C03,  of  which 
0.509  is  C02  equivalent  to  1.872  CaH  (CO)3  with  1.018  C03.* 

The  lime  was  not  quite  pure,  conatining  in  100  -ccm  water,  in 
grams : 

0.0005  CaS04 

0.0006  SiO* 

0.0010 Fe203 

0.0021  ,. impurity 

Experiment  2 was  conducted  with  a C02  pressure  of  67.9  mm 
mercury.J  On  the  surface  of  the  solution  was  to  be  observed  a 
faint  inappreciable  crystalline  secretion  of  calcium  carbonate.  It 
follows  that  from  the  partial  pressure  of  70  mm  (when  C02  is  9$ 
of  the  atmosphere)  up,  the  solubility  of  the  bicarbonate  increases 
too  slowly  to  be  determined  in  this  interval  with  present  apparatus. 

Below  this  the  separation  of  carbonate  begins  when  by  dilution 
of  the  C02  with  air  the  pressure  of  C02  is  lessened,  and  depends  on 
the  evaporation  of  the  C02  from  the  water  into  the  air.  This  re- 
action ceases  when  no  more  calcium  is  precipitated  and  the  gas 
analyses  show  no  increase  in  partial  pressure.  Numerous  tests 
have  shown  that  to  determine  equilibrium,  the  gas  analysis  is 


*The  detailed  figuring  is  as  follows: 
(a)  C02,  92.67  co.  water  used, 


4 or  5 times  repeated  boiling  gave  177.3  ccm.  gas 

After  absorption  with  K O H 42.6 

C02  134.7 


Pressure  724.7  mm.  mercury  temperature  10°.4  C 

Reduced  to  standard  pressure  (740mm.)  and  tem- 
perature 0°C—  121.74 

Equivalent  in  100  cm.  of  water 131.40 

Milligrams  C02  258.4 

A repetition  gave  258.8 


(b)  Ca.  In  all  four  cases,  per  100  ccm.  water  22.34  cc.  1-10  normal  HC1  of  coefficient 
1.0346  was  used;  i.  e.,  23.11  cc.  1-10  HC1  corrected,  corresponding  to  115.6  CaCO*  with 
50.9  C02  or  187.2  CaH2  (C03)2  with  101.8  C02. 


100  cm.  solution  evaporated  to  dryness  gave 1 1 SO  gCC>3 

By  titration  above  1158 

Indicating  0025  impurity. 

A fair  correspondence. 


t9.98$  COo  in  the  air  at  t=12.50  and  726.1  mm.  pressure. 


NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  207 


surest,  for  a slight  decrease  in  calcium  in  solution  corresponds  to 
a relatively  great  change  of  partial  pressure,  and  if  two  succes- 
sively performed  gas  analyses  are  alike,  the  solubility  of  the 
bicarbonate  is  alike,  as  test  3 showed.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
test  the  atmosphere  above  the  water  contained  8.94$  C02.  Air  was 
sucked  in  and  the  gas  above  the  water  at  once  tested.  The  C02  was 
but  3.47$.  After  a while  a second  sample  of  the  gas  as  well  as 
one  of  the  water  was  investigated.  The  C02  had  risen  to  6.23$, 
nearly  double,  while  the  bicarbonate  has  dropped  off  about  one 
part  per  liter.  After  this  point  the  C02  and  lime  remained 
constant.* 


CSi. 

Per 

1000. 

% co2 

Pressure . 

Ca. 

Bicarbonate. 

\ 

.462 

1.872 

8.94 

Experiment  2 •< 

.463 

1.876 

3.47 

.439 

1.776 

6.23 

67.9 

Experiment  3 \ 

.433 

.433 

1.755 

1.755 

6.04 

6.02 

Treadwell  and  Reuter  give  the  following  other  observations  on  the 
solubility  of  CaC03  in  carbonated  waters. 


Grams  CaC03  in  liter. 

Tern. 

Authority. 

.7003 

0° 

Lassaigne  Journ.  p.  Chem.  44,  84. 

Lassaigne  Journ.  p.  Chem.  44,  84. 

Bergmann  Arch.  Pharm.  (1874)  [3]  4 : 145. 
Bischoff  Jahr.  Chem.  phys.  geol.  (quicklime). 
Bischoff  Jahr.  Chem.  phys.  geol.  (quicklime). 
Marchand,  2.64,  (pure)  from  Caro. 

Struve,  2.64,  (pure)  from  Caro. 

Caro  inaugural  dissertation. 

Warrington  p = 7.483  mm. 

.8803 

10 

.6700 

1.8000 

2.8000 

2.5000 

1 .0  to  1.5  

3.0 

.9852 

21° 

^Details  of  figures  are  as  follows: 

Partial  pressure  P — p (percentage  reduced  to  normal)  X 7.60 


Experiment  2.  Zero  point  2.2. 

Height  of  mer- 
cury in  barometer 
tube  of  apparatus. 

Temperature 
in  degrees 
centigrade. 

Barometer  in 
mm. 

Initial  volume 

58  0 

12.5 

726.1 

After  absorption  of  C02 

127.7 

12.5 

726.1 

Tension  of  water  vapor  at  12.50  5'  = 10.8. 

Initial  volume  stood  under  the  pressure  726.1— (55. 8 + 10.8)  = 659.5. 

Gas  — COj  stood  under  the  pressure  726.1  — (121.5  + 108)  = 593.8. 

Therefore  percent  air  = 659.5  divided  by  593.8  X 100  = 90.02  and  percent  CO2  = 9.98. 


208 


MABL. 


According  to  these  data  the  solubility  of  calcium  carbonate  in 
carbonated  waters  varies  from  0.7003  to  3.0  grams  per  liter.  The 
statements  of  Bischoff  that  the  solubility  of  CaC03  is  dependent 
on  the  purity  of  the  material  which  furnishes  the  CaO  or  C02  can 
not  be  confirmed,  but  at  15°C,  saturated  calcium  bicarbonate  solu- 
tions gave,  whether  made  of  pure  or  impure  limestone,  from  1.13 
to  1.17  grams  per  liter  of  CaC03.  At  13.2° C.  the  solubility  was  1.31 
grams  per  liter  for  the  CaC03  from  common  quicklime,  and  1.30 
grams  per  liter  for  the  pure  material.  At  a temperature  of  2.8°C 
there  was  1.45  CaC03  in  the  liter,  showing  a greater  solubility  at 
the  cooler  temperature.  Long  standing  produced  no  increase  in 
calcium. 

A study  of  the  solubility  of  calcium  carbonate  from  an  analo- 
gous point  of  view  is  presented  by  a work  of  Schloesing  Compt. 
Bend.  74:1552.  His  table  is  as  follows,  but  he  does  not  describe 
how  the  partial  pressure  was  computed: 


Pressure  of  CO2  in  atmospheres,  t = 16°. 

Total  CaCC>3 
per  thousand. 

Total  0O2. 

0.000504 

.0746 

.06096 

0.000808 

.0850 

.07211 

0.00333 

.1372 

.1230 

0.01387 

.2231 

.2184 

0.0282 

.2965 

.3104 

0.05008 

.3600 

.40863 

0.1422 

.537 

0.2538  

.6334 

1.0720 

0.4167 

.7875 

1.500 

0.5533 

.8855 

1.8460 

0.7297 . 

.9720 

2.2700 

0.9841 

1.0860 

2.8640 

We  may  also  add  as  of  interest  to  us  in  this  connection  the  fol- 
lowing extracts  from  Koth’s  Chemical  Geology. 

Vol.  1,  p.  44,  solubility  of  gases  and  other  substances  in  water. 

Baumert  found  in  the  air  absorbed  by  rain  water  (t=11.4°C; 
after  a long  rain)  1.77  volumes  C02,  33.76  O,  64.47  N,  while  in  atmos- 
pheric air  there  is  but  1 vol.  C02  to  628  of  O. 

Bunsen  says  that  1 volume  water  absorbs  at  760  mm  (atmos- 
pheric) pressure  (i.  e.  about  1 atmosphere) : 


At  10°  C. 

At  15°  C. 

At  20°  C. 

1.03250  or  1 

0.02989 

0.02838 

1.1847  36.4 

1.0020  or  33.5 

0.9014  or  31.8 

0.01607  or  0.50 

0.01478  0.49 

0.11403  or  0.4 

NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  209 


Thus  more  C02  is  absorbed  at  low  temperatures.  The  air  free 
from  C02  absorbed  at  23°C  consists  of  34.91  volumes  N and  65.09  O. 

Bunsen  estimates  from  the  power  of  absorption  the  ratio  of  the 
gasts  in  rain  water,  supposing  atmospheric  air  to  be  20.951  O and 
79.007  N and  0.042  C02,  as  follows: 


5°  C. 

10°  C 
(50° F:) 

so  cu 

o o 

20°  C. 

2.68 

2.46 

2.26 

2.14 

o..': 

33.97 

34.05 

34.12 

34.17 

N 

63.35 

63.49 

63.62 

63.69 

Under  otherwise  similar  relations  the  amount  of  absorbed  gas  is 
proportioned  to  the  pressure.  Peligot  found  in  1857  2.4  per  cent 
C02  by  volume  in  the  air  absorbed  by  rain  water. 

P.  45.  According  to  Boussingault  and  Levy  100  volumes  of  air 
from  a soil  not  rich  in  humus  and  not  manured  for  a long  time,  con- 
tain at  least  25  times,  that  from  humus  rich  soil  90  times,  and  that 
from  recently  manured  soils  as  much  as  250  times,  as  much  C02  as 
atmospheric  air, — the  maximum  in  100  volumes  of  air  9.74. 

Pettenkofer  found  in  the  ground  air  of  Munich  down  to  4 meters 
depth  a maximum  of  1.838  per  cent  C02. 

P.  48.  Solubility  of  Ca  C03. 

Fresenius:  1 part  in  10,600  cold  or  8,834  boiling  water;  Graham, 
0.0343;  Bineau,  0.016  to  0.02;  Cruse,  0.036;  Peligot,  0.020;  Schloes- 
sing,  0.0131  in  1,000.  If  at  15°C  water  takes  up  1 volume  of  C02 
(i.  e.  about  0.2^  by  increase  of  pressure  and  lower  temperature 
more),  the  amount  of  carbonate  dissolved  increases.  In  water 
saturated  with  C02  (which  does  not  occur  in  nature)  is  dissolved 
in  1,000  parts  of  water,  according  to : 


Bischof  of  chalk 9 to  10 

Cossa  of  chalk  of  Luneburg  (18°, 740  mm)  .835 

Carrara  marble  (7.5°  to  9.5°,  753  mm)  ....  1.181 

Cossa  Carrara  marble  (20.5 — 22°,  741 — 

746  mm) .9487 

Cossa  Carrara  marble  (26 — 28°,  737 — 

742  mm  .855 

Calcite  12°  754.2  mm.  1.217 

Iceland  spar  18°,  735.1  mm  pressure .970 

Precipitated  CaC03  at  18°  and  735.1  mm.  . .950 

Boutron  and  Boudet  (several  atmos- 
pheres pressure  of  C02) 1.16 

27-Pt.  Ill 


210 


MARL. 


According  to  Warrington  at  13°  and  747.3  mm.  pressure  water 
with  Vf>  ammonium  chloride  dissolves  1.050  CaC03. 

If  to  a solution  of  CaC03  in  C02  water  MgCl2  is  added  the  solu- 
tion will  stand  weeks  and  can  even  be  boiled  without  clouding.  By 
continued  evaporation  magnesium  carbonate  is  precipitated. 

According  to  T.  S.  Hunt  the  solubility  of  CaC03  is  increased  also 
by  addition  of  sodic  or  magnesic  sulphate,  because  bicarbonates  of 
soda  respectively  magnesia  form. 

According  to  Northcote,  1,000  parts  of  saturated  salt  solution 
contain  1.77  CaC03. 

P.  50.  Magnesia  carbonate  is  somewhat  more  soluble  in  carbon- 
ated water  than  calcium  carbonate.  Merkell’s  results  are: 

In  1,000  parts  at  50°  C.  under  a pressure  of  C02  of : 


1 atmosphere  2 3 4-5  6 

1.31  1.34  7.5  9.0  13.2 

Cossa  18°,  750  mm  pressure,  from  magnesite 115 

Bischof,  750  mm,  pressure  from  magnesite 049 

from  pure  magnesia 135 


P.  51.  Fresh  precipitated  magnesia  carbonate  is  quite  soluble  in 
a solution  of  the  sulphate  and  precipitates  Ca  C03  from  solution  in 
carbonated  waters. 

Vol.  Ill,  p.  417  Engel  and  Ville,  under  pressure  of  1 atmos 
phere  C02,  the  solubility  varies  with  the  temperatures,  19.° 5'  C. 
29°.3  C.  82°  C.  as  follows:  257.9,  219.95,  49.0;  the  presence  of 
alkaline  chlorides,  sulphates,  and  carbonates  and  magnesia  salt 
increases  the  solubility  of  magnesium  carbonate. 

Dolomite.  Vol.  I,  p.  52  Cossa  at  18°  C.  750  mm.  pressure,  1,000 
parts  of  water  dissolve : 

of  dolomite  (CaMg  (C03))2 .310 

Of  mesitine  FeMg  (C03)2 075 

At  16°  C,  758  mm  carbonated  water  dissolves 

of  (Mg  Fe3C4012) 115 

A.  Kupffer,  of  dolomite 2967 

Siderite  FeCO 3.  Wagner,  at  4 or  5 Atm.  pres- 
sure of  C02  FeCOs 725 

Cossa  18°,  760  mm 720 

Bischof 60755 

K.  von  Hauer,  usual  pressure,  iron  dust  of 

precipitate  91 


Carbonates  of  alkalies  lessened  solubility. 


NOTES  ON  THE  OBIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  211 


Iron  Carbonate. 

Ill,  p.  417,  J.  Ville  found  in  carbonated  water. . 1.39 

E.  Ludwig  Wilhelm’s  quelle  water 0.9648 

Schloesing  worked  thus:  crystallized  pure  calcium  carbonate  was 
suspended  in  water  and  through  the  fluid  air  charged  with 
C02  passed  until  gravimetrically  no  increase  in  calcium  carbonate 
could  be  detected.  But  there  is  probably  an  error  in  calculation, 
for  Schloesing  in  the  strongly  carbonated  solution,  assumes  car- 
bonate together  with  bicarbonate  to  be  present.  For  instance,  he 
computes: 

1.  CaC03  (neutral)  according  to  special  tests  of 


solubility  0131  g in  liter 

All  calcium  as  carbonate 360 


Difference  calcium  carbonate  existing  as  bicar- 
bonate   3469 

Accordingly  he  refers  to  the  three  following  parts  of  C02: 

C02  in  the  neutral  calcium  carbonate 00576 

C02  in  the  bicarbonate 30530 

C02  free 09757 


.40863 

Caro  denies  the  existence  of  calcium  in  carbonate,  from  the  fol- 
lowing test.  A solution  of  calcium  bicarbonate  with  excess  of 
C02  was  allowed  to  stay  exposed  to  the  air  until  calcium  carbonate 
began  to  form  at  the  surface,  and  then  the  CaO  and  C02  of  the  clear 
solution  determined.  Caro  gives  the  following  figures  : 5 cm.  solution 
contains : 

0.00270  CaC03  = 0.0015176  + 0.0011924  C02,  or  in  grams  per  kilo- 
gram : 

0.540  CaC03  = 0.35352  plus  0.23848  C02. 

“Total  C02  was  determined  by  precipitation  of  5 ccm.  with  am- 
monical  BaCl2.  The  computed  C02  is  0.0142  gr.  (.142  gr.  per  100 
cm.) . 

Caro’s  result  is  thus:  Combined  C02  = 0.0011924  g.,  half  com- 

bined and  free  = 0.0142  g. 

The  ratio  of  two  numbers  is  1 : 10,  which  certainly  points  to  the 
presence  of  calcium  bicarbonate  and  much  free  C02. 


212 


MARL. 


A series  of  tests,  Nos.  3 to  12,  showed  that  the  three  values, 
partial  pressure  in  per  cent  at  0°  C.  and  760  mm.  pressure,  amount  of 
calcium  bicarbonate  and  free  C02  decrease  together  so  that  when  the 
first  and  last  become  zero  the  total  C02  is  just  equal  to 
the  amount  needed  for  calcium  bicarbonate.  From  this  the 
conclusion  is  justified  that  calcium  bicarbonate  is  a perma- 
nent salt  in  solution,  whose  solubility  is  for  the  mean  bar- 
ometric pressure  at  Zurich  and  the  temperature  of  15°  0.38509 
per  liter.  Two  tables  and  curves  are  given,  showing  the  solubility  of 
this  salt,  first  as  a function  of  a partial  pressure,  and  second,  as  a 
function  of  the  amount  of  free  CO  dissolved.  We  do  not  repeat 
the  curves,  which  can  be  constructed  from  the  table  below,  of  the 
original  figures  5 and  6. 


SOLUBILITY  OF  CaO  IN  BICARBONATED  WATER  AT  15°  C.=59°  F.  AND  760  mm. 

PRESSURE. 


In  Air. 


In  Water  (parts  per  thousand). 


Test. 

% co2. 

Pressure 
of  C02. 

Free 

co2. 

Calcium 

bicar- 

bonate. 

1 

100.00 

760 

1.574 

1.872 

2 

8.94 

67.9 

1.574 

1.872 

3 

6.04 

45.9 

.863 

1 . 755 

4 

5.45 

41.4 

.528 

1.597 

5 

2.18 

16.6 

.485 

1.540 

6 

1.89 

14.4 

.347 

1.492 

7...... 

1.7 1 

13.1 

.243 

1.331 

8 

0.79 

6.0 

.145 

1.249 

9 

0.41 

3.1 

.047 

.821 

10 

0.25 

1.9 

.029 

.595 

11 

0.-08 

0.6 

.402 

12 

.385 

13 

.385 

14 

.385 

Fixed 

C02. 

CaCOg. 

Ca. 

Total. 

co2. 

CaO. 

.509 

1.156 

.462 

2.587 

.647 

.509 

1 . 156 

.462 

2.587 

.647 

.477 

1.083 

.433 

1.817 

.606 

.434 

.986 

.394 

1.396 

.552 

.418 

.951 

.380 

1.321 

.533 

.405 

.921 

.368 

1.157 

.516 

.362 

.822 

.329 

.967 

.440 

.339 

.771 

.308 

.823 

.432 

.223 

.507 

.203 

.493 

.284 

.162 

.368 

.147 

.353 

.206 

.109 

.248 

.099 

.214 

.139 

.105 

.238 

.095 

.211 

.133 

.105 

.238 

.095 

.211 

.133 

.105 

.238 

.095 

.210 

.133 

The  data  given  above  lead  to  the  inference  that  calcium  bicar- 
bonate may  exist  in  very  dilute  solution. 

In  consequence,  it  was  of  interest  to  determine  the  electric  con- 
ductivity of  this  salt,  for  Kuster  says*  that  the  bicarbonate  in 
very  dilute  solutions  is  hydrolytically  separated  since  its  solution 
colors  phenolphthalein  feebly  red.  This  was  found  true,  but  the 
result  of  electric  tests  was  that  “the  conductivity  reached  no  max- 
imum, even  in  the  greatest  dilution,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  salts 
that  are  hydrolytically  broken  up,”  and  bicarbonate  of  potash 
behaved  in  the  same  way. 


*Z.  Anorg.  Chem.  13,  127. 


NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  213 


Calcium  ’bicarbonate  in  solution  with  NaCl. 

From  Kippenberger’s  tests  it  appears  that  calcium  carbonate 
is  about  three  times  more  soluble  in  concentrated  salt  solutions 
than  in  water.  This  greater  solubility  is  probably  dependent  on 
the  formation  of  double  salts.  Therefore  it  was  to  be  expected 
that  these  double  salts,  like  Karnallite,  would  be  fully  decomposed 
in  dilute  solution,  so  that  the  solution  of  calcium  carbonate  in 
dilute  solutions  of  salt  would  be  similar  to  that  in  pure  water,  and 
a similar  behavior  should  be  found  for  the  bicarbonate. 

Tests  performed  as  for  pure  water  on  dilute  saline  solutions 
charged  with  C02,  which  contained  5 grams  per  liter  NaCl,  result 
as  follows: 


ABSTRACT  OF  TABLES  3 AND  4. 


• 

0.41 

0.50 

3.16 

6.07 

11.47 

16.95 

%0O2  at  00  and  760  mm  in 
gas 

.082 

.081 

.083 

.086 

3.4 

.121 

3.8 

.182 

24.0 

.292 

46.1 

.368 

87.2 

.529 

128.8 

.539 

pressure  of  CO2 
Ca 

.090 

.089 

.092 

.095 

.133 

.201 

.321 

.405 

.582 

.593 

CO2  corresponding  to 

.205 

.203 

.208 

.216 

.303 

.456 

.730 

.921 

.1323 

1.348 

CaC03 

.CaC03 

.332 

.329 

.337 

.349 

.409 

.739 

.1183 

.1492 

.2143 

2.184 

Bicarbonate 

.003 

.027 

.135 

.235 

.1101 

1.325 

Free  CO2 

From  this  (comparing  with  tables  1 and  2),  it  is  apparent  that 
the  solubility  of  calcium  bicarbonate  is  but  little  influenced  by  the 
salt. 

Figures  7 and  8 of  the  original  paper  showed  the  solubility  as 
function  of  partial  pressure,  and  as  function  of  percentage  of  C02. 

II.  Magnesia  bicarbonate. 

No  new  principles  involved.  (Details  of  experiments  omitted.) 

1.  Without  alteration  of  the  partial  pressure  (of  1 atmosphere 
C02)  the  C02  and  MgO  remained  constant  down  to  experiment  4, 
when  the  amount  of  C02  ceased  to  be  enough  to  form  bicarbonate  of 
magnesia  with  the  MgO  present.  . 

Fig.  9 and  Fig.  10  (should  be  8 and  9)  showed  the  solubility  of 
the  bicarbonate  as  function  of  partial  pressure  and  total  C02  8 in 
mg. 

The  result  is  that  magnesium  bicarbonate  does  not  exist  by  itself 
without  a marked  excess  of  free  C02  dissolved  in  the  water.  The 
partial  pressure  needful  thereto,  corresponds  to  between  2°  and  4° 
C02.  If  the  partial  pressure  is  less,  the  solution  loses  all  of  the  free 
CO2  with  a part  of  the  half  combined  and  a mixture  of  carbonate 
and  bicarbonate  results.  When  the  partial  pressure  sinks  to  0 at 


ABSTRACT  OF  TABLES  III.  AND  IV.  (SHOULD  BE  V.  AND  VI.).* 


214 


MAUL. 


co2 

pressure. 

Mg. 

MgO. 

C02  combined. 

CO2  half  combined. 
CO-2  free. 

Total  CO2 

Mg  bicarbonate. 

Mg  carbonate. 

18.86 
143.3 
2.016 
3.339 
3.639 
3.639 
1*.  190 
8.468 
12.105 

.547 

41.6 

2.016 

3.339 

3.639 

3.639 

.866 

8.144 

12.105 

4.45 
33  8 
2.016 
3.339 
3.639 
3.639 
.035 
7.3  3 
12.105 

1.54 
11.7 
2.016 
3.339 
3.639 
3 236 

6.875 

10.766 

.773 

1.35 

10.3 

1.492 

2.471 

2.692 

2.293 

4.985 

7.629 

.765 

1.07 

8.2 

1.224 

2.028 

2.210 

1.789 

3.999 
5.952  / 
.807 

.062 

4.7 

.865 

1.433 

1.561 

1.101 

2.662 

3.663 

.701 

.060 

4.6 

.788 

1.305 

1.4.2 

1.027 

2.449 

3.417 

.758 

.033 

2.5 

.655 

1.084 

1.181 

.791 

1.972 

2.632 

.748 

.021 

1.6 

.594 

.983 

1.072 

.670 



1.742 

2.229 

.771 

.014 

1.1 

.566 

.938 

1.022 

.652 



1.674 

2.169 

.710 

CO  1C  C?  CO  <M 

O CO  CO 

O O l C O Oi  SO 

1.595 

2.036 

.711 

.536 

.888 

.968 

.611 

1.579 

2.035 

.685 

• • Ci  i>  Gi 

• • r>>  i>  *0  00 

• 1C  00  05  1ft 

1.544 

1.960 

.702 

.520 

.861 

.939 

.613 

1.552 

2.036 

.625 

1 t'*  00  o> 

— 1 ^ O 

• • lO  00  05  to 

1.525 

1.954 

.616 

.518 

.859 

.935 

.601 

1.536 

1.954 

.641 

NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  215 


average  pressure  and  at  15°  0,  we  have  0.6410  grs.  magnesium  car- 
bonate and  1.9540  grs.  magnesium  bicarbonate  per  liter. 

References  to  the  solubility  of  magnesium  bicarbonate  are  very 
rare.  Oossa  and  Kippenberger  assume  its  presence  only  when  there 
is  much  free  C02.  Merkel  is  cited  in  Roth. 

IV.  Sodium  bicarbonate. 

To  close  the  investigation,  the  presence  of  sodium  bicarbonate 
in  dilute  solution  was  tested.  The  phenolphthalein  test  shows  that 
the  bicarbonate  little  by  little  gives  off  C02  and  the  solution  be- 
comes stronger  in  carbonate. 

Referring  to  Kuster’s  work  indicating  that  sodium  bicarbonate, 
by  its  effect  in  turning  phenolphthalein  red,  is  decomposed  at  mod- 
erate temperatures,  the  effect  vanishing  at  0°  F,  it  is  to  be 
remarked  that  solutions  of  bicarbonate  left  long  standing  do  the 
same,  and  the  effect  does  not  disappear  at  0°,  which  leads  to  the 
inference  that  it  has  lost  C02,  and  a series  of  four  tests  show  this 
to  be  true. 


We  have  given  above,  all  the  data  we  have  been  able  to  find  on 
the  solubilities  of  the  carbonates  for  different  temperatures  and 
pressures.  Now  for  the  actual  temperatures  and  pressures,  the 
map  figured  herewith  (Fig.  19),  gives  some  data  as  to  the  mean 
annual  temperatures  by  the  isotherms  or  lines  which  have  the  same 
annual  temperature.  Upon  the  map  are  also  placed  the  tempera- 
tures of  certain  flowing  wells,  in  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

It  appears  that  the  temperature  of  ground  water  is  usually  not 
far  from  49°,  increasing  according  to  the  depth  of  the  source  quite 
irregularly,  but  at  times  as  much  as  1°  in  40  feet.  The  farther 
north  a place  is,  other  things  being  equal,  the  lower  the  tempera- 
ture. But  it  probably  goes  hardly  below  45°,  being  more  or  less 
above  that  according  to  the  amount  of  blanketing  effect  that  the 
snow  exerts,  and  the  depth  of  the  source. 

The  water  of  all  our  deep  lakes  is  cool,  and  in  the  bottoms  of  the 
deeper  lakes  it  will  often  tie  permanently  cooler  than  the  ground- 
water  temperature.  Hence  chemical  precipitation  can  never  occur 
in  the  lake  more  than  half  the  year,  and  it  will  not  occur  at  great 
depths.  Boglime,  however,  occurs  more  in  lakes  originally  deep, 
than  in  lakes  originally  shallow.  Still  it  appears  to  be  generally 
true  that  in  Michigan  the  marl  is  thicker  in  the  shallow  water  at 


216 


MARL. 


the  margin,  and  Wesenberg-Lund  reports  the  same  to  be  true  in 
Denmark.  This  can,  however,  be  easily  explained  under  either 
theory,  that  of  organic  or  chemical  precipitation.  But  it  is  curious 
to  remark  that  in  Indiana  the  geologist  reports*  not  only  a deepen- 
ing of  the  marl  towards  the  deeper  water,  but  a more  widespread 


Fig.  19.  Reproduced  from  Water  Supply  paper  No.  30,  Fig.  4,  with  some  observations  on  the 
temperatures  of  flowing  wells. 


distribution,  a fact  which  hardly  agrees  with  their  theory  of  the 
origin  of  the  lime. 

Not  only  will  the  spring  water  that  enters  the  lake  be  cool  and 
under  pressure  at  the  bottom  so  that  it  will  not  lose  its  carbon 
dioxide  nor  calcium  carbonate  there,  but  as  it  approaches  the  sur- 


*25 th  Annual  Report,  1900,  p.  45. 


NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  217 


face  it  is  liable  to  be  diluted  with  rain  and  surface  water,  which  as 
all  tests  and*  analyses  show,  are  far  from  saturated  with  bicarbon- 
atesf  and  a dilution  with  only  10^  of  rain-water  would  keep  in 
solution  all  the  calcium  carbonate  of  any  ground  water  of  which 
we  know.  Mr.  Hale  has  pointed  out  that  marl  is  liable  to  occur 
most  in  the  uppermost  of  a series  of  lakes,  into  which  presumably 
less  surface  water  would  enter,  and  this  is  a distinct  point  in  favor 
of  the  theory  of  chemical  precipitation.  But  it  is  by  no  means 
confined  to  such  lakes.  Davis’  observation,  that  in  certain  lime 
depositing  lakes,  the  outflow  is  practically  equal  to  the  inflow,  does 
not  necessarily  mean  that  the  evaporation  is  too  small  to  be 
noticed, J but  merely  that  it  is  nearly  balanced  by  subterranean 
springs  and  direct  rainfall.  It  does,  however,  make  it  almost  cer- 
tain that  there  is  enough  dilution  of  ground  water  springs  to  pre- 
vent direct  chemical  precipitation. 

All  winter  again,  the  water  under  the  ice  is  colder  than  the 
ground  water,  and  the  escape  of  C02  is  prevented.  There  can  be  no 
direct  chemical  precipitation.  In  the  spring  the  influx  of  snow 
water  must  dilute  the  spring  water  and  prevent  precipitation. 

Only  after  the  hot  dry  weather  of  summer  has  evaporated  and 
heated  the  lake  to  saturation  point  could,  if  ever,  precipitation 
begin,  but  it  seems  doubtful  if  it  could  get  that  far.§ 

Considerations  like  the  above  had  made  the  origin  of  the  bog- 
limes  by  chemical  precipitation  very  doubtful  to  me,  even  before 
Messrs.  Davis  and  Hale  made  it  so  clear  that  organic  life  was  the 
precipitating  agent  in  some  cases,  at  any  rate.  In  fact  such  doubts 
led  me  to  suggest  to  them  their  lines  of  work. 

Mr.,  Davis’  discovery  of  calcium  succinate  Ca==02=(C4H402), 
in  Chara,  and  its  lime  secretions  yield  a new  test  of  the  origin  of 
the  fresh  water  limes. 

Until  this  very  peculiar  salt  is  shown  to  be  formed  in  some 
other  way,  it  is  a safe  presumption  that  chara,  or  at  least  plant 
life  has  contributed  largely  to  lime  deposits  containing  it.  It  is 

*See  also  Water  Supply  Paper  No.  31,  analyses  35  to  45,  and  ante  pp.  46  and  118. 

tWhile  as  shown  above  rain-water  selectively  absorbs  considerable  C02  from  the 
air. 

tlf  we  look  at  the  figures  given  in  the  “Meteorological  Chart  of  the  Great  Lakes 
for  the  Season  of  1899,”  Vol.  II,  No.  9,  of  the  Weather  Bureau  publications,  p.  21, 
we  see  that  the  evaporation  must  be  between  20  and  36  inches,  and  the  precipitation 
is  from  4 inches  to  20  inches  more. 

§Yet  the  number  of  facts  that  must  be  known,  accurately,  evaporation,  ground 
water  supply,  surface  water  supply,  temperatures,  and  co-solubilities  under  a large 
range  of  conditions,  prevent  our  saying  absolutely  that  it  could  not  occur.  In  fact, 
in  such  a case  as  the  marl  referred  to  by  Mr.  Hale  at  Corrinne,  where  the  whole  lake 
dries  up,  it  must. 

28-Pt.  Ill 


2L8 


MABL. 


also  found  that,  as  Hale  has  remarked,  organic  matter  always 
accompanies  even  the  purest  marls.  Moreover,  it  seems  to  be  true 
that  in  a marl  analysis,  in  which  the  CaO,  MgO,  and  C02  are  sepa- 
rately and  independently  determined,  there  is  never  enough  car- 
bonic acid  to  satisfy  the  caustic  lime  and  magnesia,*  even  after 
making  all  allowance  for  the  presence  of  calcium  sulphate.  While 
in  clayey  marls  it  might  be  supposed  that  calcium  and  magnesium 
silicates  were  present,  in  many  of  the  purer  ones  the  effect  is  too 
great  to  be  thus  explained,  and  we  are  forced  to  believe  that  we 
have  the  lime  united  to  an  Organic  acid,  probably  this  succinic  acid. 

It  is  not  uncommon  in  commercial  marl  analyses  to  figure  from 
the  CaO  and  MgO  the  amount  of  carbonates,  and  for  many  pur- 
poses this  is  sufficient,  but  in  such  cases  the  chances  are  that 
the  amount  of  carbonates  is  overestimated  and  the  amount  of 
organic  matter  underestimated  some  2fc. 

§ 3.  Microscopic  investigations. 

Although  it  might  seem  that  the  subject  of  the  origin  of  boglime 
had  been  pretty  thoroughly  threshed  out,  it  must  be  kept  in  mind 
that,  in  view  of  the  number  of  causes  that  are  competent  under 
proper  conditions  to  throw  down  lime,  no  available  light  should 
be  neglected.  It  seemed  possible  that  a study  of  the  microstructure 
of  the  lime  with  the  petrographic  microscope  might  be  an  aid.  For 
comparison  with  them,  some  artifical  precipitates  were  made  for 
study. 

(a)  Microscopic  precipitate  by  loss  of  C02  and  heating. 

I took  a sample  of  water  from  the  flowing  well  at  the  end  of 
Hazel  street,  Lansing,  close  to  the  bank  of  Cedar  river.f 
This  well  flows  into  the  air  about  six  feet  above  the  usual 
river  level  and  has  about  two  feet  free  jet.  The  depth  is  340 
feet,  but  the  water  doubtless  comes  in  mainly  at  much  less  depth. 
Within  half  an  hour  of  the  time  of  taking  the  water,  it  was  heated 
to  the  simmering  point,  when  of  course  the  C02  was  practically  lost. 
A film  was  seen  floating  on  the  top, — not  a continuous  coating,  but 
a lot  of  calcite  crystals.  With  an  enlargement  of  150  diameters  their 
crystalline  character  wlls  very  apparent.  Hexagonal  outlines  were 
plain.  They  were  not  all  simple  forms,  nor  always  the  same  form. 
Rhomb  faces  and  hexagonal  outlines  were  common  (Fig.  20),  but 

♦For  instance,  the  average  amount  of  C02  which  Prof.  F.  S.  Kedzie  found  by 
analysis  in  thirty  marl  analyses  in  which  C02  ranged  from  27.13$  to  44.60$  was  36.28$ 
while  the  amount  of  COo  required  by  the  weights  of  CaO  and  MgO  in  the  marl  was 
in  each  case  higher,  the  average  being  38.30$,  a good  2$  more. 
tTemperature  50.8°  F. 


NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  219 


simple  rhombohedra  were  not  the  prevalent  form.  In  relative 
dimensions  and  habit  they  resemble  often  Fig.  21  of  the  Appendix 
to  Part  II  of  Vol.  VI  of  our  reports,  or  figures  11  and  13  of  the  cal- 
cite  illustrations  in  Dana’s  System  of  Mineralogy.  Though  they  are 
too  small  (about  0.02  nim)  to  be  exactly  determined,  the  prism  or 
a very  long  scalenohedron,  and  the  terminal  rhombohedron — \ 
are  quite  probably  present.  The  optical  properties  leave  no  doubt 
that  they  are  calcite.  When  transmitting  the  ordinary  ray  they 


*1 00 

1 


Fig.  20.  Crystals  produced  by  evaporation. 

have  much  higher  refraction  than  that  of  the  balsam  used  for 
mounting  (n=1.521),  while  with  the  extraordinary  ray  their  index 
is  very  close  to  that  of  the  balsam, — just  a shade  less,  as  it  should 
be.  (1.49)  The  directions  of  + and  — extinction  parallel  to  the 
diagonals  of  the  rhomb  faces  are  characteristic  (Fig.  20).  One 
twin  with  the  twinning  face  probably — J was  observed.  In  mount- 
ing these  crystals  a second  crop  was  formed  as  the  water  around 
them  evaporated,  considerably  smaller,  being  half  or  quarter  the 
size,  and  spindle-shaped,  like  dog-tooth  spar  (Fig.  20f),  and  the 


220 


MABL. 


forms  illustrated  on  Plate  XI  of  the  Appendix  to  Yol.  VI,  Part  II, 
and  Dana’s  figures  15  to  20. 

Xo  marl  seen  consists  to  any  considerable  degree  of  similar 
material.  Had  it  been  present  in  quantity,  I do  not  think  I could 
have  failed  to  recognize  it.  It  must  be  said,  however,  that  every 
marl  had  been  more  or  less  dried,  and  therefore  a certain  amount 
of  secondary  chemical  precipitation  from  the  hard  water  of  the 
lakes  was  to  be  expected.  As  a matter  of  fact,  I noticed  no  mater- 
ial that  need  necessarily  be  ascribed  even  to  this  source. 

(b)  Precipitate  by  evaporation. 

I also  allowed  drops  of  water  of  the  artesian  well  used  in  the 
Hollister  block  (which  is  150  feet  deep  in  white  sandstone  of  the 
coal  measures  and  probably  similar  in  chemical  character  to  the 
previous  well  and  analyses  Nos.  238  and  239  of  U.  S.  G-eol.  Sur. 
Paper  No.  31),  to  evaporate.  In  one  drop  the  dimensions  of  the 
larger  crystals  are  about  0.005  mm  and  less,  about  a three  hun- 
dredth of  a millimeter.  In  so  minute  crystals  it  is  hard  to  measure 
angles  accurately,  but  it  appeared  that  a termination  of  the  funda- 
mental rhombohedron  was  combined  with  prismatic  or  acute  scalen- 
ohedral  faces. 

In  Figure  20,  groups  a to  j were  drawn  by  C.  A.  Davis  from  some 
Alma  well  water.  I think  that  b and  g,  h,  i,  and  j,  are  groups  of 
gypsum  crystals,  while  a,  c,  d,  e,  and  k,  appear  to  be  mainly  rhom- 
bohedral  calcite,  and  f is  plainly  a scalenohedron.  In  1 we  have  a 
crystal  drawn  by  myself  with  the  cameralucida  with  some  pains 
to  get  the  angles  right,  and  the  optical  orientation  indicated. 
The  contrast  in  relief  brought  out  by  rotating  the  crystals  im- 
mersed in  balsam  above  a single  nicol  is  very  striking  and  charac- 
teristic. 

(c)  Chara  fragments. 

The  calcareous  Chara  stems  have  a hollow  core  surrounded  by  a 
single  slightly  twisted  row  of  elongate  cells.  The  diameter  is  com- 
monly about  half  a millimeter.  The  lines  between  the  cells  are 
continuous  and  produce  the  effect  of  slightly  spiral  ribs.  This  is 
shown  in  Fig.  d of  Plate  XVI.  Fragments  of  chara  therefore,  like 
figures  b and  c appear  ribbed.  Close  to  the  ribs  the  granulation  of 
the  calcareous  aggregates  is  very  fine,  while  between  it  grows 
coarser, — up  to  0.02  mm.  The  boundary  between  the  various  areas 
or  patches  of  uniform  polarization  color  appears  vague  or  crenu- 
lated.  This  interdigiting  effect  or  crenulation  is  especially  shown 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 


Vol.  VIII.  Part  III.  Plate  XVI. 


MICROSCOPICALLY  ENLARGED  FRAGMENTS  AND  SECTIONS  OF  CHARA. 


-- 


NOTES  ON  THE  OIUGIN  OE  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  221 


in  c,  and  sometimes  needs  the  use  of  crossed  nicols  to  bring  it  out. 
Even  very  Ismail  fragments  show  patches  of  different  polarization 
colors.  Sections  a and  e are  cross-sections  of  chara  stems  drawn 
by  Mr.  B.  O.  Longyear  and  myself.  Such  sections  are  hard  to 
prepare  and  seem  never  to  occur  accidentally.  The  other  sections 
b to  d are  such  as  will  ordinarily  be  found  in  looking  at  a sample  of 
marl. 

(d)  Blue  green  algae. 

The  apparently  calcareous  pebbles  which  are  really  concretions 
of  calcium  carbonate  thrown  down  or  out  by  Schizothrix,  have 
already  been  described  by  Davis.  Similar  pebbles  are  noted  as 
occurring  in  the  marl  in  certain  horizons  -at  Goose  Lake,  from 
which  the  Peninsular  plant  take  their  marl.  The  pebbles  in  marl 
referred  to  in  the  discussion  of  Prof.  Fall’s  paper  before  the  En- 
gineering Society  are  probably  similar,  and  the  calcareous  coating 
on  dead  branches  and  shells  also.  The  “pebbles”  on  the  southeast 
side  of  Zukey  Lake  at  Lakelands,  which  turn  brown  on  the  side  ex- 
posed to  the  light,  are  of  the  same  nature. 

A cross-section  of  such  a “pebble”  or  concretion  shows  a faintly 
radiating  structure.  Under  the  microscope  I have  not  been  able  to 
discern  this,  but  instead,  there  appears  to  be  a cloudy  aggregate 
of  irregular  calcite,  not  sharply  crystalline  nor  coarse  grained,  not 
over  a hundredth  of  a millimeter  at  the  outside. 

There  is  not  very  much  that  is  characteristic  about  it,  and  very 
much  of  the  commercial  boglime  deposits  is  precisely  similar. 

Near  the  Cottage  Grove  Higgins  Lake  resort,  not  only  are  the 
upper  sides  of  pebbles  overgrown  with  warty  deposits  of  these 
algae,  but  the  bottom  sand  is  cemented  in  a layer  about  3 mm  thick, 
brown  on  the  upper  side  and  greenish  on  the  lower. 

(e)  Shell  structure. 

The  shells  which  occur  in  the  boglimes  are  as  Walker’s  list 
shows,  mainly  (bivalves)  pelecypods  or  gastropods  (snails).  What- 
ever the  genus,  and  whether  the  structure  be  foliated  or  prismatic, 
aragonite  or  calcite,  the  ground  up  shells  should  show,  and  do  as 
a matter  of  fact  show  a fibrous  structure  under  the  microscope. 
Larger  pieces  are  commonly  composed  of  bundles  of  fibres,  more 
or  less  opaque,  owing  to  the  interlamination  of  material  of  different 
refraction.  The  direction  of  extinction  is  usually  either  parallel 
or  varies  according  to  some  law,  and  there  is  a pronounced  organic 
structure  which  can  hardly  be  mistaken,  but  which  varies  of  course, 


222 


MARL. 


according  to  the  species.  I do  not  think,  however,  that  any  con- 
siderable amount  of  such  material  could  escape  detection  under  the 
microscope.  It  generally  forms  an  unimportant  part  of  the  com- 
mercial marl  or  boglime  deposits. 

(f)  Limestone  flour. 

What  is  called  clay  in  Michigan,  is,  so  far  as  the  glacial  clays  are 
concerned,  more  properly  rock  flour,  and  contains  a great  deal  of 
finely  divided  quartz  and  other  minerals,  being  by  no  means  merely 
a hydrous  alumina  silicate.  Inasmuch  as  the  limestones  and  dolo- 
mites form  a large  part  of  the  subsurface  or  bedrock  of  the  State, 
and  of  Canada  to  the  northeast,  the  almost  universal  presence  of 
lime  in  the  clays,  wdiicli  are  thus  rendered  properly  marls,  is  quite 
natural.  Now  it  is  not  inconceivable  that,  as  Mr.  Parmelee  has 
suggested,  in  a region  of  limestone  rocks  sedimentary  clay-like 
deposits  might  form,  aided  perhaps  by  the  greater  weight  of  the 
carbonates,  in  which  lime  would  predominate  to  almost  any  extent. 
Such  clays  as  the  following  analyzed  by  Prof.  Fall,  from  Alcona 
county  are  very  largely  limestone,  though  in  them  magnesia  is 
present  in  quantity,  and  this  we  should  expect  would  be  generally 
true.  A typical  till  clay  from  the  old  brickyard  southeast  of 
Harrisville,  Alcona  county,  containing  some  small  limestone  frag- 
ments, is  composed  as  follows: 


Free  sand 

11.53 

11.53 

Sand. 

Combined  silica 

25.71 

Oxide  of  aluminum 

Oxide  of  iron 

7.08 

3.99 

Organic  matter,  basic  water 

Difference  chiefly  alkalies 

3.46 

2.60 

42.84 

Clayey  matter. 

Calcium  oxide 

1 .70 

Magnesium  oxide 

6.52 

Carbon  dioxide 

21.00 

45.22 

Limestone. 

Sulphur  anhydride 

0.41 

0.41 

In  pyrite  or  gypsum. 

100.00 

Examined  under  the  microscope,  such  clays,  which  as  we  see  are 
nearly  half  limestone  flour,  show  a good  deal  of  material  which  is 
almost  indistinguishable  from  the  alga  deposits  or  the  commercial 
marls.  But  the  material  is  in  general,  more  brown  and  opaque, 
contains  more  or  less  angular  quartz,  and  almost  always  fragments 
of  limestone  which  are  over  0.01  mm  in  diameter, — frequently  0.05 
to  0.08  and  larger.  Such  fragments  are  absent  in  the  marl,  and  this 
is  the  best  distinction  I can  at  present  make.  This  is  not  very 
satisfactory.  It  seems  quite  possible  that  there  might  be  quite  an 
amount  of  sedimentary  lime  material  in  a bog  lime,  before  we  could 


NOTES  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MICHIGAN  BOGLIMES.  223 


separate  it  microscopically  from  materials  of  another  origin,  organic 
or  otherwise.  It  seems  likely  that  the  rise  in  magnesia  to  which 
Hale  refers  is  fully  as  sensitive  a test  of  the  admixture  of  clay  marl 
in  a boglime  as  microscopic  examination.  The  calcareous  clays 
become  much  harder  when  dry,  and  even  when  wet  again,  only  very 
slowly  break  down. 

§ 4.  Conclusions. 

It  appears,  therefore,  that  any  appreciable  mixture  of  lime 
sediment  does  not  produce  the  quality  of  bog  lime  which  is  desired 
for  Portland  cement  manufacture.  While  a continual  accumula- 
tion of  boglime  or  marl  requires  a continual  supply  of  lime  which 
is  furnished  in  the  hard  water  of  the  springs,  yet  the  animal  and 
vegetable  life  of  the  lakes  never  allows  this  to  accumulate  to  the 
point  of  chemical  precipitation  of  the  bicarbonate,  but  it  is  de- 
posited through  organic  processes.  In  this  the  Characeae  play  a con- 
spicuous part,  especially  in  the  purer  marls.  More  minute  algae 
may  have,  collectively,  greater  and  more  widespread  importance. 
In  fact,  microscopic  examination  seems  to  indicate  this.  The  role 
of  animal  life  is  usually  quite  subordinate. 

Notes  on  the  microscopic  examination  of  the  different  marls  will 
be  found  in  connection  with  the  description  of  the  different  deposits 
in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 

§ 1.  Introduction. 

The  object  of  this  chapter  is  to  give  as  full  a list  as  conveniently 
could  be  made  both  of  the  Portland  Cement  mills  actually  at  work 
and  the  materials  that  they  use,  and  also  of  the  plants  that  have 
been  planned  and  materials  prospected  as  well. 

In  description  of  the  manufacturing  plants,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  interest  of  the  geologist  is  in  the  first  place 
in  the  raw  materials,  and  for  farther  discussion  of  the  details  of 
manufacture  we  must  refer  to  Lathburv  and  Spackman  of  Phila- 
delphia on  engineering  practice,  the  Detroit  Journal  of  Wednes 
day,  April  16,  1902,  the  nineteenth  annual  report  of  the  Labor 
Commissioner,  and  professional  journals  like  Cement,  Cement  and 
Engineering  News,  Stone,  etc.  Still  we  cannot  thoroughly  treat 
the  raw  materials  without  also  considering  the  processes  of  manu- 
facture to  which  they  are  adapted.  We  have  also  thought  it 
would  add  considerably  to  the  value  of  the  report,  to  add  a few 
statistics,  for  which  we  have  to  thank  the  Secretary  of  State  and  the 
Commissioner  of  Labor,  to  whose  department  such  matters  belong. 
A large  amount  of  material  is  derived  from  the  printed  circulars 
and  prospectuses  of  the  various  companies,  or  private  corre- 
spondence with  the  same.  It  is,  however,  almost  wholly  from 
signed  reports  of  reputable  engineers,  and  is  duly  credited.  Occa- 
sional comments  which  may  be  helpful  by  way  of  comparison  are 
added. 

Alpena  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  Aug.  9,  1899;  capital,  $500,000.  The  officers  and  direc- 
tors of  the  company  are:  F.  W.  Gilchrist,  president;  William  B.  Com- 
stock, vice-president;  George  J.  Robinson,  secretary;  A.  M.  Flet- 
cher, treasurer;  W.  H.  Johnson,  auditor;  John  Monaghan,  C.  H. 
Reynolds,  Water  S.  Russell,  J.  H.  Cobb,  attorney;  F.  M.  Haldeman, 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS . 


225 


superintendent.  Mill  located  just  east  of  Alpena  on  the  shores  of 
Thunder  Bay.  A thousand  foot  pier  gives  water  transportation, 
and  the  Detroit  and  Mackinac  R.  R.  also  runs  to  the  mill.  This  was 
the  first  mill  using  limestone  for  the  calcium  instead  of  bog  lime.  It 
is  the  Alpena  limestone  close  to  the  mill  and  belongs  in  the 
Traverse  group,  and  corresponds  somewhere  nearly  to  the  Encrinal 
limestone  of  the  Hamilton  of  New  York  State.  Not  all  of  the  bed  is 
equally  pure,  however,  and  Dr.  A.  W.  Grabau,  who  has  made  a par- 
ticular study  of  the  conditions  for  us,  reports  that  the  old  coral 
reefs  which  occur  in  the  bed  furnish  the  purest  calcium  carbonate.* 
This  is  a very  important  result,  for  these  coralline  parts  are  easily 
recognized.  The  limestone  is  also  used,  especially  the  purer  part, 
for  the  purification  of  sugar,  and  the  report  of  the  beet  sugar 
chemists  confirms  the  analyses  of  the  local  chemists,  that  at  times 
the  limestone  is  practically  pure  CaC03.  This  is  one  of  the  plants 
which  have  the  advantage  of  using  a local  shale  clay. 

“The  raw  materials  are  very  economically  handled.  The  clay 
brought  from  the  beds  to  the  north  is  piled  in  great  bins  in  the 
clay  storage  house.  This  house  is  225  by  60  feet  in  dimensions 
and  will  hold  clay  sufficient  for  60,000  barrels  of  cement.  From 
the  quarries  to  the  plant,  a distance  of  800  feet,  tracks  on  which 
are  run  cable  cars  are  laid  through  the  clay  shed.  Here,  each 
car  of  rock,  as  it  passes  through,  is  weighed,  analysis  having  been 
made,  and  the  correct  amount  of  clay  is  added  to  make  a perfect 
cement  mixture.  The  cars  then  run  to  the  mill  and  their  contents 
are  dumped  into  the  crushers. 

“The  materials  then  pass  through  the  crushers,  rolls,  ball  mills 
and  tube  mills  automatically,  being  ground  finer  and  more  thor- 
oughly mixed  during  each  process.  During  the  wet  grinding  pro- 
cess, water  is  added  in  the  ball  mills  and  the  final  and  finishing 
mixing  is  done  by  the  tube  mills,  which  contain  imported  flint  peb- 
bles. . The  action  of  these  against  the  wet  mixture,  produced  by 
the  revolutions  of  the  mill,  reduces  it  to  a slurry.  Then  the  mix- 
ture passes  into  correction  tanks,  from  which  samples  are  taken 
by  the  chemists  and  tests  are  made  to  guard  against  error.  The 
contents  of  each  tank  are  corrected  before  the  slurry  is  allowed 
to  leave  it.  There  are  12  mixing  tanks,  each  14  by  16  feet  high 
and  with  sufficient  capacity  to  each  hold  enough  slurry  for  250 
barrels  of  cement. 

“This  mixture  carries  about  33  per  cent  of  water  which  makes 
the  resultant  process  better.  Marl  and  clay  mixture  must  neces- 
sarily carry  a higher  degree  of  moisture  than  with  the  dry  pro- 
cess. The  kiln  capacity  is  much  greater  where  lime  rock  is  used, 

♦Annual  report  for  1901,  pp.  174  to  191,  especially  page  178. 

29-Pt.  Ill 


226 


MARL. 


as  there  is  less  water  to  drive  out  of  the  material  before  it  is  cal- 
cined. At  Alpena  the  rotaries  each  have  a daily  capacity  of  from 
140  to  150  barrels  of  cement  as  against  100  by  those  using  marl. 

“From  the  storage  tanks  the  slurry  is  fed  into  the  rotary  kilns. 
The  fuel  used  in  these  kilns  is  powdered  coal,  prepared  by  drying 
and  grinding,  and  is  fed  into  the  kilns  by  an  air  blast.  The  kilns 
are  taken  care  of  by  experienced  burners.  From  the  kilns  the 
cement  clinker  is  discharged  into  conveyors  and  carried  to  the 
clinker  room  to  cool.  Six  rotaries  are  in  constant  operation  and 
the  daily  capacity  reaches  1,000  barrels  of  cement.  From  the 
clinker  room  the  material  passes  to  the  grinding  machinery,  con- 
sisting of  rolls,  ball  mills  and  tube  mills — the  chemist  takes  the 
ground  cement  at  this  point  and  tests  it  for  fineness,  after  which 
it  is  conveyed  to  the  stock  house,  which  has  a capacity  of  50,000 
barrels,  where  it  is  allowed  to  season  and  then  packed  for  ship- 
ment. Before  shipment  the  chemical  department  makes  a thor- 
ough test  of  the  finished  product  for  specific  gravity,  constancy  of 
volume,  soundness,  tensile  strength  and  setting  time,  and  the 
cement  is  shipped  only  as  certified  by  them  to  be  in  proper  condi- 
tion for  immediate  use. 

“The  dimensions  of  the  various  buildings  are  as  follows:  Stock 

house,  240  by  100  feet,  making  about  24,000  square  feet  of  floor 
space;  mixing  and  kiln  building,  259  by  105;  cement  grinding 
room,  190  by  105.  In  addition  to  these  there  is  a thoroughly 
equipped  cooper  shop,  machine  shop  and  round  house.” 

Although  they  are  not  at  present  using  the  bog  lime  it  may  be 
of  interest  to  give  the  analysis  of  it  as  well  as  of  their  shale.  It 
comes  from  Middle  Lake,  on  Sec.  18,  T.  32  N.,  R.  9 E.,  about  seven 
miles  north  of  the  mill,  where  the  company  own  a thousand  acres 
tract  including  also  their  shale  clay  beds. 

BOGLIME. 


Calcium  carbonate  92.91 

Magnesium  carbonate  1.89 

Silica  tr. 

Ferric  oxide  0.53 

Alumina 0.21 

Sulphuric  anhydride  tr. 

Organic  matter  .80 

Water,  etc 2.01 


99.87 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


227 


CLAY  SHALE. 


CaO  (CaC03  = 4.48) 2.51 

MgO 65 

Silica  61.09 

Ferric  oxide  6.78 

Alumina  19.19 

Sulphuric  anhydride  1.42 

Water  and  C02  5.13 

Potassium  oxide  1.80 

Sodium  oxide 1.36 


99.93 

Some  of  these  shales  and  clays  around  Alpena  will  doubtless 
make  good  face  and  even  paving  brick. 

The  rocks  around  Alpena  have  been  quite  fully  described  by 
A.  W.  Grabau*  in  the  Annual  Report  for  1901,  and  will  before  long 
be  subject  of  a monograph  by  him. 

Omega  Portland  Cement  Co., 

Organized  Feb.  18,  1899;  capital,  $300,000;  Jonesville,  Hillsdale 
Co.  The  officers  were:  Frank  M.  Stewart,  president;  Israel  Wickes, 
vice-president;  Chas.  F.  Wade,  secretary-treasurer;  George  H. 
Sharp,  superintendent;  Homer  C.  Lash,  chemist. 

The  following  report  was  prepared  for  us  by  W.  M.  Gregory, 
and  was  printed  in  the  Michigan  Miner  for  May  8,  1901,  Vol.  3, 
No.  6. 

The  Omega  Portland  Cement  Company,  of  Jonesville,  Hillsdale 
County,  Michigan,  with  a plant  at  Mosherville,  owns  extensive 
land  tracts  in  Section  15,  Township  5 south,  3 west.  The  plant 
stands  near  Cobb’s  Lake,  on  the  Fort  Wayne  branch  of  the  L.  S. 
& M.  S.  Railway.  This  lake  is  one  of  a series  of  small  lakes  at 


♦See  especially  pages  175  to  190. 


228 


MARL. 


the  headwater  of  the  Kalamazoo  River.  In  the  near  vicinity  are 
Hastings,  Johnson,  and  Mosher’s  Lakes,  and  many  large  areas  of 
marsh.  All  by  actual  tests  and  explorations  have  been  found 
rich  in  marl  deposits  of  an  excellent  quality.  The  immediate 
topography  of  the  land  in  this  region  is  rolling  and  hilly,  this  being 
in  the  locality  of  parallel  morainal  ridges  deposited  by  the  ice 
fronts  as  it  retreated  to  the  north.  The  clay  loam  forms  a storage 
basin  for  the  lakes — three  to  four  miles  is  the  average  distance 
from  the  crest  to  crest  of  the  valley  which  holds  this  lake  chain. 
The  valley  sides  are  gently  sloping  and  in  places  covered  with 
sand.  This  region  of  meandering  creeks,  sluggish  rivers  and  plant 
choked  lakes  was  formerly  considered  valueless  and  even  hindered 
farming  interests.  The  discovery  of  marl  has  been  the  means  of 
making  a busy  little  village  in  the  midst  of  what  was  once  worth- 
less soil.  This  is  only  a type  of  what  is  occurring  in  many  places 
in  our  State.  Northeast  of  Jonesville  there  are  many  lakes  of 
this  same  character.  Already  at  Woodstock  a 600  barrel  plant 
has  been  erected,  and  a prospective  plant  is  in  consideration  at 
Grass  Lake.  Near  Hanover,  Moscow,  Duck  Lake  and  Addison 
Lake  are  lands  rich  in  marl  deposits.  At  Coldwater,  Quincy, 
Bronson,  Union  City  and  Sand  Lake  extensive  deposits  occur  and 
four  of  these  places  have  successful  plants  in  operation.  Spencer 
Lake,  some  miles  east,  has  also  a marl  bed.  This  region  within  a 
radius  of  less  than  fifty  miles  is  especially  favorable  for  extensive 
cement  manufacture  because  of  the  abundance  of  marl  and  clay. 
A few  words  concerning  the  lakes  in  this  region:  They  are  all 

elliptical  in  shape,  and  on  the  southern  shore  are  low  morainal 
ridges  which  extend  northeast  to  north;  in  many  cases  partly  en- 
closing the  lake.  A mile  is  the  greatest  length  and  one-half  mile 
is  the  average  width.  The  most  valuable  marl  deposits  occur  in 
the  deepest  lakes,  and  in  fact  no  extensive  amount  occurs  in  any 
of  the  shallow  lakes,  and  in  such  cases  the  sand  renders  the  marl 
valueless,  as  some  of  our  manufacturers  have  found  by  experience. 
No  large  inlets  are  known  to  exist  in  lakes  with  an  abundance  of 
the  deposit  and  as  a rule  the  outlet  is  plant  choked.  The  water  is 
in  the  greatest  part  derived  from  the  underlying  Marshall  sand- 
stone. 

The  plant  of  the  Omega  Company  has  a daily  capacity  of  700 
barrels.  The  buildings  are  of  brick  and  steel,  and  the  storage 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


229 


house  of  cement  concrete.  The  power  house  is  80x160  feet,  con- 
taining a 750  horse  power  engine,  air  compressors,  pumps,  dynamo, 
etc.  The  largest  building  or  wet  end  department  is  80x200  feet, 
and  here  the  handling  of  marl  and  clay  takes  place.  The  marl  is 
taken  from  the  lake,  which  is  400  feet  east  of  the  mill,  by  a large 
steam  dredge,  and  the  beds  of  marl  run  to  an  average  depth  of  50 
feet.  The  lake  is  one-half  mile  in  length  and  one-quarter  mile 
wide,  being  filled  along  the  shore  with  much  plant  material.  ■ At 
the  center  of  this  lake  a depth  of  40  to  60  feet  is  found.  For  con- 
venience in  handling  the  marl  the  lake  has  been  slightly  lowered  by 
dredging  the  outlet. 

The  slimy  marl  taken  from  the  lake  bottom  by  the  dredge  is 
deposited  in  horse  cars,  skips  or  buckets,  with  a capacity  of  one 
cubic  yard,  and  drawn  to  the  conveyor  shed,  30x130  feet,  where 
the  marl  is  elevated  and  conveyed  by  trolley  and  by  automatic 
dump  in  skips  dropped  into  the  stone  separator,  which  disinte- 
grates the  marl  and  relieves  it  of  all  sticks,  grass  and  stones.  In 
this  building  the  clay,  which  is  shipped  in  from  Millbury,  Ohio, 
is  pulverized  by  passing  through  a dry  pan,  dried  and  weighed, 
and  elevated  to  the  mixing  floor,  where  with  the  marl  coming  from 
the  stone  separator  is  mixed  with  the  clay,  forming  a mud  or 
slurry  and  passes  to  the  pug  mills. 

The  Omega  Company  also  have  a clay  bed  one  and  one-half  miles 
northeast  of  the  works,  which  matches  the  clay  brought  from  Mill- 
bury, and  which  they  use  at  times  when  weather  and  roads  will 
permit  of  transportation  economically. 


ANALYSIS  OP  MILLBURY  CLAY.* 

SiOo 

Al0Os 

Fe.,0.,  

CaO 

MgO  

Volatile  matter 


64.85 

17.98 

5.92 

2.24 

1.40 

4.98 


It  would  seem  quite  possible  that  some  of  the  shale  outcrops 
near  Reading,  or  south  of  Jackson,  would  furnish  suitable  clay. 
Clay  taken  from  the  surface,  if  free  from  sand,  is  more  apt  to 

*Compare  other  analyses  of  this  clay  elsewhere  given,  e.  g.,  those  made  by  J.  G. 
Dean  at  the  Peninsular  plant  at  Cement  City,  and  those  given  by  Prol  I.  C.  Russeli 
in  his  report  in  the  21st  Annual  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey. 


230 


MARL. 


prove  satisfactory  for  cement  manufacture,  as  it  is  easier  to  mine 
and  freer  from  lime  than  a lower  strata.  The  manufacturer  wishes 
a clay  low  in  lime. 

Slurry  is  carefully  watched  and  tested  at  the  Omega  plant,  and 
no  trouble  has  been  encountered  through  presence  of  sand  in 
the  marl  or  clay.  After  leaving  the  disintegrating  pug  mills,  the 
slurry  passes  into  vats  and  is  pumped  up  to  an  elevated  tank, 
where  it  is  again  screened  and  runs  by  gravity  to  the  mixing  and 
grinding  wet  tube  mills,  these  mills  being  lined  with  wood  and 
one-half  filled  with  Greenland  flint  pebbles.  After  the  material 
has  passed  through  these  mills  it  will  all  pass  a sieve  of  10,000 
meshes  without  residue.  The  object  in  very  fine  grinding  is  the 
attainment  of  the  most  intimate  admixture  possible  of  the  clay 
and  marl,  so  that  the  heat  will  quickly  produce  incipient  vitrifica- 
tion. Slurry  is  then  passed  into  large  storage  tanks  and  from 
these  passes  by  gravity  as  needed  into  vats  at  rear  of  the  five 
60-ton  rotary  kilns;  these  are  60  feet  long  and  six  feet  in  diameter: 
the  shell  being  made  of  extra  heavy  boiler  iron,  lined  with  alumin- 
ate  brick.  The  slurry  is  pumped  from  vats  and  forced  into  the 
end  of  the  rotary,  the  rotaries  being  set  on  an  incline  of  one-half 
inch  to  the  foot.  The  department  containing  the  rotaries  is  80' 
x 100'.  The  rotaries  are  heated  to  about  2,900°  F.  by  means  of  a 
gas  flame  generated  by  a continuous  blast  of  powdered  coal;  the 
slurry  while  in  the  kilns  is  subjected  to  temperatures  varying  from 
1,290°  F.,  at  which  CaO,  Si02  is  formed,  to  3,000°  F.,  where  CaO, 
A1o03  is  formed.  The  calcined  product  of  the  kilns  is  termed 
clinker  and  has  the  following  analysis: 


SiO,  22.24 

A1208  7.26 

Fe,C3  2.54 

CaO 64.96 

MgO 2.26 

SO, 41 

H20  and  C02 33 


The  clinkers,  if  good,  have  a lava-like  texture,  being  somewhat 
porous  and  with  a greenish  black  bronzed  color.  Too  much  clay 
is  shown  by  a tendency  to  give  a flaky  powder  on  cooling.  An 
excess  of  lime  gives  a clinker  of  great  hardness  with  a glassy 
black  luster,  or  a fractured  surface  may  show  white  specks  of  free 
lime.  The  excess  of  lime  is  very  injurious  to  cement,  because 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


231 


caustic  lime  expands  in  slaking  and  will  disintegrate  the  cement 
mortar  and  produce  “blowing.”  Too  much  silica  will  cause  the 
clinker  to  crumble.  Iron  imparts  a bluish  black  color  and  tends 
to  produce  fusion  in  the  presence  of  heat. 

The  building  where  the  coal  is  prepared  for  use  in  the  kilns  is 
52  ft.  x 68  ft.  in  size,  and  contains  a preliminary  crusher,  dryer,  pre- 
liminary pulverizer  and  two  German  tube  mills  for  finishing  the 
product.  The  coal  is  pulverized  to  pass  sieve  of  10,000  meshes  with 
not  over  two  per  cent  residue.  On  an  average  three  cars  of  coal  are 
used  per  day  and  all  is  prepared  in  this  special  way  for  use  and  con- 
veyed by  blast  from  fans  into  the  kilns.  The  composition  of  the 
coal  is  an  important  factor,  as  an  abundance  of  sulphur  or  iron 
pyrites  is  a damage  to  the  quality  of  the  cement,  and  the  percent- 
age of  ash  in  the  coal  is  also  an  important  factor,  and  coal  must 
be  analyzed  each  day. 

PITTSBURG  COAL. 


Moisture  1.00 

Vol.  matter  39.37 

Fixed  car 55.82 

Ash 3.81 

Sulphur  92 


The  coal  item  in  the  expense  of  manufacture  is  a large  one,  and 
if  Michigan  coal  could  be  used  it  might  lessen  the  cost,  but  as  yet 
its  use  has  not  been  successful  in  this  plant.  After  the  clinkers 
are  properly  burned  they  pass  from  the  rotaries  to  the  cooling 
and  grinding  department. 

The  grinding  mills  are  of  the  ball  and  tube  mill  patterns  of 
German  manufacture;  the  fine  grinding  of  the  clinker  is  one  of  the 
essential  elements  of  cement  manufacture.  The  following  are 
some  of  the  tests  of  the  Omega  brand: 


THE  OSBORN  ENGINEERING  CO.  (INCORPORATED).  CLEVELAND,  OHIO.  CEMENT  TESTING  DEPARTMENT. 

Report  No.  2.  Records,  p.  89.  Reports  of  Tests  of  Omega  Portland  Cement.  Samples  received  from  John  Laylin,  City  Engineer,  Norwalk,  Ohio. 

Reported  to  John  Laylin,  Sept.  6th,  1900. 

Fineness,  Activity,  Constancy  of  Volume. 


232 


MARL, 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  ANI)  MILLS. 


233 


It  is  said  that  98^  will  pass  a sieve  of  10,000  meshes  to  the  square 
inch,  and  that  briquettes  possess  a tensile  strength  of  400  to  700 
pounds  when  one  week  old  and  500  to  800  pounds  when  one  month 
old. 

In  the  season  of  1900  it  produced  54,500  barrels,  in  1902,  120,000 
barrels. 

The  following  are  three  analyses  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Hess  from  the 
Cement  and  Engineering  News  for  February,  1900: 


1 

2 

3 

Silica  

39.53 

58.24 

68.21 

Alumina 

11.46 

20.56 

18.64 

Iron  oxide 

4.59 

5.68 

5.32 

Calcium  oxide  

13.78 

0.61 

0.22 

Magnesium  oxide  

5.19 

9.24 

9.16 

Sulphur  anhydride  .... 
Difference,  carbon  diox- 

1.62 

9.91 

9.12 

ide,  organic  matter, 
water,  etc 

23.83 

15.49 

7.33 

100.00 

100.74 

100.00 

In  No.  1,  which  is  of  the  surface  clay  type,  the  calcium  oxide 
would  mean  24.63  per  cent  of  the  carbonate,  and  similarly  19.84 
magnesium  carbonate,  or  35.47  carbonates,  which  would  leave  from 
the  “difference”  about  7.33  for  organic  matter,  basic  water,  alka- 
lies, etc. 

Peninsular  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  June  24,  1899;  capital,  $875,000.  The  office  of  the  com- 
pany is  at  Jackson,  and  Jackson  capital  is  largely  interested,  but 
the  plant  is  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Lenawee  County  at  Wood- 
stock,  on  the  L.  S.  & M.  S.  R.  R.,  and  Cement  City  on  the  Cincin- 
nati Northern,  the  latter  town  site  having  been  platted  by  the 
company.  The  officers  were:  W.  R.  Reynolds  of  Jackson,  presi- 

dent; C.  A.  Newcomb  of  Detroit,  vice-president;  W.  F.  Cowham, 
secretary  and  manager;  N.  S.  Potter  of  Jackson,  treasurer. 

The  capitalization  was  half  7^  preferred  stock  to  be  returned 
in  5 years.  The  net  cost  of  manufacture  was  estimated  at  80  cents. 

The  output  when  I visited  it  in  the  fall  of  1901  was  about  700 
barrels  a day.  The  following  notes  are  from  my  visit  and  informa- 
tion kindly  furnished  by  Mr.  J.  G.  Dean,  then  chemist. : 

The  plant  is  located  on  the  borders  of  Goose  Lake  not  far  from 
the  northwest  corner  of  Lenawee  County. 

30-Pt.  Ill 


234 


MARL. 


The  marl  is  dredged  from  the  water  of  the  lake,  and  forced 
through  a pipe  line  into  the  marl  tanks,  where  it  is  stirred  and 
allowed  to  flow  slowly  into  the  mixers.  While  in  transit  the  clay, 
which  comes  from  Millbury,  Ohio,  is  incorporated  in  the  right  pro- 
portions by  an  Archimedean  screw.  From  the  mixers  it  passes 
into  the  slurry  tank,  thence  into  the  rotary  roasters,  in  which  a 
coal  dust  blast  gives  the  heat.  The  coal  is  high  in  volatile  matter 
and  low  in  sulphur.  At  the  lower  end  of  the  rotary  it  drops  as 
a clinker  and  then  passes  into  the  grinder  where  it  is  reduced  to 
powder,  by  being  rattled  with  flint  pebbles  brought  from  abroad 
(France  and  Greenland).  Experiments  with  Michigan  pebbles  have 
proven  entirely  unsatisfactory.  The  plant  is  producing  about  700 
bbls.  a day  with  six  kilns,  and  is  beginning  enlargement.  The 
company  owns  a number  of  marl  lakes  in  the  region  besides,  but 
Goose  Lake  is  the  one  which  they  are  now  using.  It  lies  in  an 
east  and  west  deep  trough,  60  feet  or  more,  below  the  adjacent 
county.  This  trough  to  the  east  crosses  the  line  of  the  Cincinnati 
Northern  in  a wide  valley  or  open  swamp,  probably  largely  under- 
lain by  marl,  and  is  said  to  extend  up  into  Jackson  County  to  the 
northeast.  The  outlet  of  the  lake  is  to  the  west  and  the  trough 
extends  there  also. 

This  trough  appears  to  be  not  merely  superficial,  but  to  extend 
to  the  rock  surface  also,  for  in  the  village  of  Cement  City  half  a 
mile  north  of  the  plant  one  has  to  put  down  a well  but  8 to  11  feet 
to  encounter  sandstone  and  shale,  while  in  the  lake  60  feet  below, 
soundings  even  80  feet  deep  are  said  to  be  sometimes  still  in  marl. 
Elk  horns  are  said  to  have  been  found  30  feet  down. 

Not  far  north  on  Sec.  19,  T.  4 N.,  R.  1 E.,  in  a low  swamp  about 
the  same  distance  below  the  high  flat-topped  hills  as  Goose  Lake 
there  is  a drilled  well  (t.  50°  F.)  flowing.  It  is  quite  likely,  there- 
fore, that  as  seems  often  the  case  around  marl  lakes  there  is  an 
upward  artesian  pressure  of  the  ground  water.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  this  lake  conforms  to  Haleys  rule  that  the  marl  lakes  tend  to 
lie  in  deep  depressions. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


235 


The  water  is  also  hard,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  analysis 
by  Dr.  Hodge: 


Grains  per 
U.  S.  Gallon. 

Parts  per 
thousand. 

CaO 

6.410 

.110 

. 101 C aO+ . 079CO, = . 180C  aCOcj 

MgO 

2.562 

.044 

+ .048CO2=  .092  MgC03 

Fe203Alj03 

tr 

tr 

Si02 

.203 

.003 

S03 

.800 

.014 

+ .009CaO=.025CaS04 

C02 

6.275 

.107 

Alkalies  etc 

.220 

.004 

Residue 

16.470 

.282 

Now  in  this  analysis  it  is  noteworthy  that  after  supposing  that 
all  S03  is  combined  with  CaO  and  that  and  the  MgO  is  combined  as 
carbonate,  there  is  not  enough  C02  (.107 — .048=.059  instead  of  .079) 
to  satisfy  the  calcium  oxide.  This  perhaps  indicates  some  organic 
salt  of  lime,  for  instance  the  calcium  succinate  discovered  by 
Davis. 

Another  point  is  that  the  water,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to 
Treadwell  & Reuter’s  paper,  is  almost  or  quite  saturated  with  lime 
and  magnesia.  The  sample  was  taken  over  the  marl  bed,  directly 
at  the  mouth  of  the  intake  ditch. 

A third  point  of  interest  is  the  higher  ratio  of  MgO  to  CaO  than 
in  marl  or  clay.  This  indicates  that  the  water  is  of  a residual 
nature,  left  after  the  deposition  of  the  marl.  The  company  own  a 
clay  bank  about  two  miles  west  of  the  plant,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  hollow  in  which  the  marl  lies.  They  have  not  used  it  for 
cement  manufacture,  preferring  to  use  Millbury  Ohio  clay  of  the 
composition  of  Analysis  1. 


236 


MARL. 


(Average  of  50) 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

Si02 

61.06 

67.06 

55.26 

58.85 

45.27 

ai2o3  

18.10 

20.50 

23.34 

18.36 

8.33 

Fe203  

6.65 

2.52 

2.52 

7.16 

4.84 

CaO  

1.29 

.94 

4.15 

1.18 

15.99 

MgO  

.53 

tr. 

tr. 

1.98 

so3  

1.05 

tr. 

2.00 

.38 

HoO  and  organic  mat- 
ter   

9.20 

8.01 

11.40 

8.13 

Difference,  alkalies, 

etc 

2.12 

0.97 

1.33 

2.96 

100.00  100.00 


Analyses  2 to  5 are  of  local  clays, — No.  2 from  under  the  marsh, 
No.  3 a surface  yellow  clay  probably  leached  of  much  of  its  lime, — 
No.  4,  also  from  the  top  of  the  bank,  with  a low  per  cent  of  lime, 
while  No.  5 is  a partial  analysis  of  the  clay  8 feet  down  in  the  bank. 
A similar  relation  of  clay  analyses  is  very  widespread  and  will  be 
noticed  in  many  other  sets  given  in  this  volume.  From  such 
analyses  it  is  probable  that  the  ground  water  leaches  out  the 
carbonates  unequally,  preferring  the  magnesia,  and  by  comparison 
with  the  following  marl  analysis  we  see  that  the  agent  which  throws 
down  the  marl  decidedly  prefers  the  lime,  so  that  there  must  tend 
to  be  a concentration  of  the  magnesia  in  the  water : 


ANALYSIS  OF  GOOSE  LAKE  MARL. 


CaO 51.56 

MgO  1.26 

SiO,  0.22 

Fe203Al203  0.76 

Volatile  matter,  etc 46.20 


100.00 

The  marl  abounds  in  shells  which  have  been  determined  by 
Mr.  Bryant  Walker  in  his  paper  elsewhere  given,  but  Chara 
is  also  found  in  the  marl.  As  bearing  on  the  origin  of  the 
marl  it  is  worth  noting  that  at  times  streaks  of  material 
which  dredgers  would  call  sand  or  gravel  are  struck.  This 
proves,  however,  to  be  pure  calcium  carbonate  and  is  prob- 
ably largely  composed  of  the  Schizotlirix  aggregates  which  are 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AN1)  MILLS. 


237 


elsewhere  described.  They  tend,  however,  to  settle  in  the  slurry 
and  cause  trouble.  The  marl  is  said  to  range  from  10  to  42  feet 
thick,  and  the  lake  is  half  a mile  wide  and  a mile  and  a half  long, 
,the  deposit  of  marl  being  over  300  acres.  Besides  this  lake  other 
lakes  in  the  neighborhood  are  owned  by  the  same  company.  It  is 
said  that  the  average  of  over  200  borings  ran  96.12^  CaC03  and 
less  than  lf0  Mg. 

Peerless  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  Aug.  23,  1896;  capital,  $250,000.  Oldest  of  the  recent 
plants.  First  operated  as  a vertical  kiln  plant,  as  when  visited  by 
Hale  and  Ries,  and  when  the  view  given  in  Plate  III  was  taken; 
it  has  recently  been  remodelled  to  the  rotary  kiln. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are:  A.  W.  Wright,  of  Alma,  presi- 

dent; S.  O.  Bush,  Battle  Creek,  vice  president;  J.  R.  Patterson, 
general  manager;  Wm.  H.  Hatch,  secretary  and  treasurer;  direc- 
tors, the  above  officers,  with  W.  T.  Knowlton,  Saginaw.  It  is  a 
close  corporation,  and  the  stockholders  are  few. 

The  plant  is  located  at  Turtle  Lake  near  Union  City  close  to  the 
line  between  Branch  and  Calhoun  Counties. 

Six  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  marl  land  are  owned  by 
the  company,  and  is  reached  by  means  of  a little  railroad.  The 
marl  is  found  upon  the  surface,  and  is  so  dry  that  water  has  to 
be  added  when  it  reaches  the  plant.  The  marl  is  almost  entirely 
free  from  organic  matter  and  is  very  readily  worked.  By  means 
of  a bucket  dredge,  operated  on  a track,  the  marl  is  dug  and  lifted 
into  the  dump  cart. 

To  obtain  the  marl  thus  dry  the  level  of  Turtle  Lake,  “which  had 
been  twice  lowered  before,  the  last  time  in  1873/’  but  still  stood 
22-J  feet  above  the  St.  Joseph  River,  was  lowered  some  14  feet. 

From  the  Detroit  Journal  of  April  16,  1902,  we  cite  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  changes  in  the  manufacturing  plant: 

“Intermittent  vertical  kilns  were  first  installed  by  the  company. 
These  kilns  were  charged,  then  lighted  and  burned  out  like  a lime- 
kiln. From  a distance  of  three  miles  the  marl  was  first  hauled  to 
the  plant  in  wagons,  then  it  was  mixed  with  clay  in  a pug  mill  and 
made  into  bricks.  These  bricks  were  first  dried  in  a drying  kiln, 
then  piled  in  the  burning  kilns  with  alternate  layers  of  coke. 
After  being  burned  the  clinkers  were  drawn  off  and  ground.  The 
process  was  necessarily  slow,  as  compared  with  that  in  use  the 
present  day.  Two  years  ago  another  change  was  made  in  the  mill 
and  Dietch  Continuous  Vertical  Kilns  installed.  In  these  kilns 
the  mixture  was  charged  at  the  top  and  the  clinker  drawn  off  at 


238 


MARL. 


the  bottom.  Still  progressing  the  company  decided  last  fall  to 
construct  a modern  cement  mill  and  to  that  end  hundreds  of  work- 
men have  been  engaged  all  winter  in  the  erection  of  a model  cement 
plant.  Many  entirely  new  features  have  been  introduced  into  this 
mill,  and  right  from  the  start  an  output  of  1,200  barrels  per  day  is 
confidently  expected  from  the  eight  70-foot  rotaries.  Two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  is  being  expended  upon  this  plant. 

“Beds  of  both  plastic  and  clay  shale  owned  by  the  company  are 
located  within  a mile  of  the  mills.  The  shales  belong  to  the  Cold- 
water  formation. 

“The  cars  of  marl  are  pulled  up  an  elevated  tramway  on  the 
track  scales  where  the  marl  is  weighed,  and  then  the  clay  is  added 
before  being  dumped  into  the  stone  separator.  From  there  it  goes 
to  the  pug  mill  and  then  into  a large  tank  where  through  return 
pipes  the  mass  is  kept  running  continuously  in  order  to  obtain  a 
uniform  mixture.  It  is  corrected  at  this  point  by  the  addition  of 
the  proper  amount  of  clay  or  marl  determined  by  the  chemist. 
From  these  tanks  the  mixture  is  pumped  into  the  wet  grinding 
tube  mills  and  then  falls  into  great  floor  tanks  of  concrete.  In 
the  bottom  of  these  tanks  a continuous  screw  conveyor  forces  the 
slurry  into  mammoth  concrete  correction  tanks.  These  tanks  are 
the  source  of  just  pride  to  the  engineering  force  of  the  company. 
They  are  constructed  entirely  of  concrete  and  are  22  feet  deep  by 
22  feet  wide  and  22  feet  long.  The  slurry  in  these  tanks  will  be 
agitated  by  compressed  air.  The  clay  is  prepared  by  being  first 
dumped  into  a dryer  and  then  ground  in  a Williams  mill. 

“The  great  rotary  room  is  undoubtedly  the  most  interesting  part 
of  the  plant.  Some  innovations  are  here  introduced  that  will 
materially  increase  the  output  of  each  rotary.  The  inventions  are 
the  product  of  advanced  thought  and  the  broadest  of  experiments. 
The  rotaries  are  seventy  feet  long,  being  ten  feet  longer  than  the 
largest  rotaries  in  any  Michigan  mill.  The  pulverized  coal,  to  feed 
the  rotaries,  is  prepared  in  a separate  building  where  the  most  im- 
proved coal  grinding  machinery  has  been  erected.  The  Peerless 
company  has  placed  devices  on  the  rotaries  from  which  the  waste 
heat  from  the  kilns  is  utilized  in  drying  the  slurry  before  it  enters 
the  kilns.  This  is  automatic  and  is  said  to  increase  the  capacity 
of  each  kiln  to  a marked  degree.  The  rotary  room  was  con- 
structed on  a side  hill  and  this  has  proven  especially  advantageous, 
as  it  saves  the  handling  of  the  clinker  as  it  leaves  the  kilns.  Under 
the  clinker  end  of  the  kilns  has  been  constructed  a retaining  wall 
and  in  this  room,  21  feet  below  the  kilns,  are  the  foundations  for 
the  eight  automatic  Wentz  clinker  coolers,  which  are  being  erected 
so  that  the  hot  clinker  falls  directly  into  them.  By  this  device 
the  hot  air  is  fanned  off  of  the  clinker  and  driven  back  to  aid  in 
reducing  more  slurry  to  a calcined  state. 

“As  the  clinker  drops  from  the  coolers  it  is  conveyed  along  the 
floor  to  the  rolls  and  from  there  into  eight  Griffin  mills  and  then 
into  two  large  tube  mills  for  the  finishing  process.  As  the  cement 
leaves  these  mills  it  is  elevated  by  belt  and  tripper  arrangement 
to  the  top  of  the  three-story  warehouse  and  there  dumped  into 
hopper  bins.  These  bins  are  two  stories  in  height  and  are  con- 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


239 


structed  of  the  best  Kentucky  oak,  the  huge  pillars  not  depending 
upon  the  walls  of  the  building,  the  construction  being  entirely 
within  itself.  As  the  cement  drops  from  the  third  to  the  second 
story  bins  it  is  turned  over  and  from  there  goes  to  the  packer. 
The  old  and  the  new  warehouses,  which  extend  along  the  Michigan 
Central  tracks,  have  a capacity  of  100,000  barrels.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  company  is  amply  provided  for  winter  storage.  At  the 
track,  coal  can  be  unloaded  and  elevated  to  the  boiler  room  of  the 
plant. 

“The  power  plant  promises  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the  state. 
Four  Scotch  Marine  internally  fired  boilers  will  furnish  steam  for 
driving  a 500  horse  power  Hamilton  Corliss  engine,  a Fitchburg 
Tandem  Compound  450  horse  power,  and  a 300  horse  power  simple 
engine.  Rope  drives  will  be  used  in  part  of  the  plant.  Twenty 
electric  motors  are  being  installed  and  electrical  transmission  used 
to  advantage  in  driving  the  gear  of  many  of  the  machines.” 

Bronson  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  March  3,  1897 ; capital,  $500,000.  It  is  said  that  there  is 
a mortgage  of  $100,000  on  the  plant  which  is  said  to  have  cost  about 
$250,000.  This  is  one  of  the  well  established  plants  of  the  State, 
and  has  been  visited  both  by  Dr.  Ries*  and  Mr.  Halef  and  tests 
and  a description  of  the  process  of  manufacture  are  elsewhere 
given.  In  materials  and  location  it  is  like  and  not  far  from  those 
of  the  Wolverine  Co. 

The  following  are  additional  analyses  of  the  Bronson  clays,  be- 
side that  given  in  Part  I of  this  report. 


REPORT  OF  ANALYSIS. 

Date  of  receipt,  Dec.  5th,  1900. 


Composition 


592 

593 

594 

595 

65 

66 

67 

68 

Silica 

. . 61.94 

56.64 

61.10 

59.36 

Alumina  

. . 11.58 

12.18 

13.91 

12.38 

Iron  oxide  (ferric)  

3.49 

3.59 

3.62 

3.62 

Oxide  of  calcium  

. . 5.92 

8.17 

6.32 

5.63 

Oxide  of  magnesium 

. . 4.85 

4.29 

3.91 

4.62 

Sulphuric  acid  (anhydrid)  . . . 
Organic  matter 

.18 

.31 

.31 

.30 

Respectfully  submitted, 

(Signed)  W.  H.  SIMMONS. 
Bronson,  Mich.,  Dec.  17th,  1900. 


♦This  volume  (VIII),  Part  I,  pp.  42  and  43. 
tChap.  VI,  p.  104. 


240 


MABL. 


Newaygo  Portland  Cement  Co.  (Gibraltar  Brand.) 

Capital,  $2,000,000;  organized  May  24,  1899.  Cornerstone  laid 
June  29,  started  June  5, 1901. 

The  officers  of  the  Newaygo  Portland  Cement  Company  are 
Daniel  McCool,  member  of  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers, 
president;  Wm.  Wright,  vice  president;  B.  T.  Becker,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  Directors:  F.  G.  Bigelow,  Milwaukee;  H.  D.  Hig- 
inbotham,  Chicago;  George  Barrie,  Philadelphia,  and  W.  North- 
rup,  St.  Louis ; Clay  H.  Hollister,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Description  by  Richard  L.  Humphrey.* 

The  Newaygo  Portland  Cement  Company’s  plant  is  located  at 
Newaygo,  on  the  banks  of  the  Muskegon  river,  thirty-six  miles 
north  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  designed 
and  equipped  plants  in  the  State  of  Michigan. 

The  plant  is  electrically  operated,  the  power  being  furnished  by 
two  500  H.  P.  3-phase  generators,  driven  by  eight  Lombard  water 
wheels  acting  under  a 15-foot  head. 

The  water  is  furnished  by  the  Muskegon  river.  The  accompany- 
ing views,  Plates  Nil  and  XVIII,  show  the  darn,  race  way  and  in- 
terior of  power  house. 

The  slurry  is  agitated  and  handled  entirely  by  compressed  air. 
The  efficiency  of  this  system  cannot  be  overestimated.  The  centri- 
fugal pumps  usually  in  use  are  very  expensive  to  maintain  as  they 
wear  out  very  rapidly. 

The  absence  of  line  shafting  is  noticeable,  each  machine  being 
equipped  with  an  individual  motor,  in  some  cases  two,  which 
enables  the  mill  to  continue  in  service  in  case  of  break  down  of  one 
of  the  motors.  The  automatic  system  for  controlling  the  com- 
pressed air  is  admirable. 

The  marl  is  found  in  a series  of  lakes  owned  by  the  company  in 
Newaygo  county  and  about  five  miles  from  the  plant,  known  as 
Little  Marl,  Great  Marl,  Pickerel,  Kimball,  Fremont  and  Hess 
lakes. 

The  following  is  an  analysis  of  marl  taken  from  the  Great 


Marl  lake: 

Silica  1.24 

Iron  and  Alumina  80 

Calcium  carbonate  90.90 

Magnesium  carbonate  2.97 

Organic  matter  by  difference 4.09 


400.00 


"“Consulting  Engineer,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


GENERAL  VIEW  OE  PLANT. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 


Vol.  VIII.  Part  III.  Plate  XVII. 


PLAN  OF  NEWAYGO  PLANT. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan.  Vol.  vm  Part  m piate  x vm 


I 


DAM  AND  RACE-WAY  FOR  NEWAYGO  PLANT. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


241 


The  composition  of  the  marl  in  calcium  carbonate  ranges  from 
65  to  95  per  cent. 

Olay  is  found  on  the  company’s  property  along  the  Muskegon 
river  opposite  the  plant;  the  following  is  a representative  analy- 
sis of  this  clay  :* 


Silica  55.84 

Iron  oxide  3.02 

Alumina  8.90 

Lime  9.98 

Magnesia  5.16 

Loss 13.68 


96.58 

The  cement  produced  by  this  plant  is  first-class  in  every  partic- 
ular, and  the  machinery  is  the  best  of  its  kind. 

The  following  is  a brief  description  of  the  plant : 

The  mill  is  on  the  line  of  the  Pere  Marquette  railroad  over  which 
road  for  a mile  and  one-quarter  the  marl  is  hauled  to  the  mill; 
the  remaining  three  and  one-half  miles  is  over  the  cement  company’s 
siding. 

The  dredge  and  plant  used  in  excavating  the  marl  is  shown  on 
Plate  XXII. 

The  marl  is  dumped  into  a bin  [(1)  on  Plate  XVII].  There  is 
also  storage  provided,  under  the  trestle  (400  feet  long),  to  supply 
the  mill  during  the  winter  months. 

From  the  bin  the  marl  flows  through  a gate  in  the  bottom,  operated 
by  a slide  valve,  into  a machine  called  a separator,  which  drives 
the  marl  out  through  a perforated  head  in  the  machine,  separating 
from  the  marl  all  foreign  matter,  such  as  sticks,  stones,  etc.  Water 
is  introduced  at  this  point  in  quantity  (about  55$)  sufficient  to 
reduce  it  to  a slurry. 

The  pure  marl  flows  through  a pipe  into  pump  (2)  which  pumps  it 
by  compressed  air  into  three  storage  tanks  (3)  connected  together 
by  pipe.  These  tanks  hold  about  90  cubic  yards  each.  From  these 
tanks  the  chemist  takes  his  samples  for  analysis,  to  determine  the 
proportion  of  clay  to  be  added.  From  the  tanks  the  material,  now  in 
form  of  slurry,  flows  by  gravity  in  a pump  marked  (4)  which  pumps 
it  into  two  measuring  tanks  (5),  these  being  used  alternately.  The 

*At  present,  however,  the  company  is  using  a clay  found  in  connection  with  the 
gypsum  at  Grand  Rapids  whose  analysis  is  more  like  that  given  in  Part  I,  pp.  40 
and  41.  L. 


31-Pt.III 


242 


MARL. 


clay  is  brought  from  storage  and  fed  into  a pair  of  rolls,  then  into  a 
pug  mill  where  water  is  added  and  it  is  reduced  to  a thin  slurry. 
From  this  mill  it  passes  into  two  Gates’  tube  mills  in  which  it 
is  made  impalpably  fine.  This  in  turn  is  forced  or  pumped  by  air 
into  a measuring  tank. 

The  marl  and  clay  are  fed  separately  from  the  bottom  of  the 
measuring  bins  into  a measuring  hopper. 

From  this  hopper  it  is  pumped  into  three  90  cubic  yard  tanks  (11). 

The  number  of  hoppers  of  marl  and  clay  pumped  into  each  of 
these  tanks  will  depend  on  the  composition  of  the  marl.  When 
the  tank  is  full  it  is  thoroughly  agitated  by  air.  The  chemist  then 
takes  another  sample.  These  are  called  correction  tanks.  Should 
the  composition  not  be  correct  clay  or  marl  is  added  until  the 
desired  mixture  is  obtained. 

From  these  tanks  the  slurry  or  syrupy  mixture  of  clay  and  marl 
flows  by  gravity  into  a pump  (12)  which  forces  it  into  the  automatic 
feeders  into  the  three  tube  mills  (13),  in  which  the  material 
is  reduced  to  an  impalpably  fine  state.  The  tube  mills  discharge 
it  into  a trough  running  to  a pump  (14),  which  forces  it  into  the  90 
cubic  yard  tanks  (15)  back  of  the  kilns;  there  being  a tank  for  each 
kiln.  All  tanks  are  continuously  agitated  by  means  of  compressed 
air. 

From  the  tanks  it  is  pumped  into  automatic  feeders  from  which 
it  is  fed  into  the  rotary  kilns  marked  (17),  in  which  it  is  clinkered 
and  is  discharged  into  the  McCasslin  conveyor  marked  (19),  which 
forms  a continuous  belt  around  all  the  rotary  kilns  passing  in  a 
trench  underneath,  then  up  a tower  at  the  side  of  the  building,  over- 
head through  the  ventilator  or  louvre  of  the  building  and  down  the 
opposite  side,  where  it  is  discharged  into  a cooling  tower  (33), 
and  delivered  by  this  tower  onto  a conveyor  belt  (34),  which  takes 
it  to  the  dry  grinding  building  and  delivers  it  to  elevator  (35),  by 
which  it  is  elevated  and  deposited  on  conveyor  belt  (36)  which  in 
turn  delivers  it  to  clinker  storage  bins  marked  (37),  there  being  one 
for  each  Griffin  mill.  From  these  bins  it  is  fed  by  gravity  into  the 
Griffin  mills  marked  (38)  and  pulverized  to  an  impalpable  powder; 
flowing  from  them  by  gravity  again  into  a screw  conveyor  marked 
(39),  by  which  it  is  delivered  to  elevator  (40),  and  delivered  by  this 
elevator  to  either  screw  conveyor  (41)  or  belt  conveyor  (42),  either 
one  being  in  reserve  in  case  of  a break  down.  These  conveyors  take 
the  finished  cement  and  deposit  it  again  into  a screw  conveyor  (43), 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


243 


which  carries  it  overhead,  through  the  cement  warehouse,  emptying 
it  into  any  bin  desired. 

When  the  cement  is  shipped,  it  is  drawn  from  the  bottom  of  any 
one  of  these  bins  into  screw  conveyor  (44)  of  which  there  are  two, 
one  on  either  side  of  the  alleyway,  conveyed  by  the  screw  conveyor 
to  a second  screw  conveyor  (46),  which  delivers  it  into  the  packing 
bins  in  the  packing  house,  where  it  is  either  barreled  or  sacked  by 
machinery,  and  if  cars  are  not  at  hand  to  take  it  to  market,  it  is 
piled  in  the  warehouse  adjoining  the  packing  house. 

The  coal  is  either  shoveled  direct  from  a car  standing  on  the 
trestle  onto  the  conveyor  belt  (20),  or  is  wheeled  from  storage 
under  the  trestle  and  dumped  onto  this  same  belt,  which  carries 
it  to  a coal  cracker  (21).  From  there  it  is  elevated  into  a Cummer 
dryer  (22),  passes  from  the  Cummer  dryer  into  a second  elevator, 
which  carries  it  up  and  dumps  into  small  bins  over  Griffin  mills  (23), 
where  it  is  pulverized  and  then  passed  by  a screw  conveyor  (26)  into 
elevator  (27),  which  elevates  it  into  screw  conveyor  (28),  by  which 
it  is  carried  and  deposited  in  coal  storage  bins  (29).  From  there  it 
is  fed  into  the  rotaries  by  a blast  of  air  from  fan  (31),  driven 
by  motor  (30).  These  rotaries  are  all  driven  by  motor  (18)  of  which 
there  is  a duplicate  kept  in  reserve. 

In  the  coal  grinding  building  the  machinery  is  driven  by  motor 
(25),  belted  to  a jack  shaft  (24),  which  drives  both  the  Griffin  mills. 
Each  of  the  Griffin  mills  in  the  dry  grinding  building  is  driven  by 
a separate  motor,  as  in  each  of  the  tube  mills  in  the  wet  grinding 
building.  The  agitators  of  each  set  of  tanks,  Nos.  3,  11  and  15,  are 
also  driven  by  separate  motors. 

The  plant  has  been  in  continuous  service  for  over  one  year  during 
which  time  it  has  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  successful  and 
economical  in  the  State. 

The  story  of  the  discovery  of  the  deposits  of  marl  is  as  follows:* 

“A  year  ago  Charles  E.  Greening,  of  the  firm  of  Greening  Bros., 
extensive  nurserymen  at  Monroe,  was  on  a business  trip  through 
the  northern  part  of  the  lower  peninsula.  On  May  23  he  delivered 
an  address  at  Newaygo,  and  the  day  following  joined  a fishing 
party  at  Pickerel  Lake,  near  that  village.  While  sitting  on  the 
trunk  of  a fallen  tree,  Mr.  Greening  observed  that  the  roots  of  the 
tree  were  covered  with  a white  substance  resembling  snow.  His 
curiosity  prompted  him  to  taste  it  and  he  detected  in  it  a strong 
flavor  of  lime.  He  sent  a sample  to  the  Agricultural  College  for 
analysis,  but  never  heard  from  it.' 

*Grand  Rapids  Herald,  May  9,  1899. 


244 


MAUL. 


“A  few  months  later  Mr.  Greening  met  Prof.  Fred  H.  Borradaile, 
State  analyst,  and  gave  him  a sample  for  analysis.  When  the  lat- 
ter reported  he  startled  Mr.  Greening  by  urging  him  to  go  to  New- 
aygo at  once  and  buy  up  all  the  land  containing  the  deposit  that 
he  could  get  his  hands  on,  explaining  that  the  substance  was  a 
most  valuable  specimen  of  marl. 

“Mr.  Greening  hastened  to  Newaygo  and  immediately  purchased 
about  1,000  acres  of  land  surrounding  four  little  lakes,  the  shores 
and  bottoms  of  which  contain  unlimited  deposits  of  marl  which  is 
said  to  be  of  a finer  quality  than  any  heretofore  discovered  in  this 
country,  the  analysis  showing  96  per  cent  of  carbonate  of  lime, 
with  little  or  no  trace  of  iron.  Within  a short  distance  of  the 
marl  beds  there  is  to  be  had  an  abundance  of  clay,  which  is  an 
essential  in  the  manufacture  of  cement. 

Numerous  other  deposits  of  marl  at  Pine  Lake,  Fremont  Lake, 
etc.,  exist  not  far  off,  elsewhere  referred  to.  That  of  Fremont  Lake 
is  described  by  Mr.  Hale  on  p.  135. 

Elk  Rapids  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  March  3,  1900 ; capital,  f 400,000.  Bonds  issued  in  1902 
to  improve  machinery,  etc.,  $100,000.  Original  actual  cost  of  plant 
about  $225,000,  the  balance  of  stock  being  issued  for  land  or  unsold 
and  issued  as  bonus  with  bonds,  which  were  floated  at  par. 

Officers:  Schuyler  S.  Olds,  president  and  general  manager; 

Fitch  R.  Williams,  vice  president;  Frank  B.  Moore,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Directors:  Fitch  R.  Williams,  attorney,  Elk  Rapids; 

M.  B.  Lang,  merchant,  Elk  Rapids;  Frank  B.  Moore,  president  Elk 
Rapids  Savings  Bank;  Schuyler  S.  Olds,  railroad  counsel,  Lansing, 
Mich.;  Thomas  A Wilson,  attorney,  Jackson,  Mich.;  C.  A.  Whyland, 
Chicago,  111. ; H.  B.  Lewis,  manager  Elk  Rapids  Iron  Co. 

Within  the  limits  of  the  village  of  Elk  Rapids  the  plant  of  the 
Elk  Rapids  Portland  Cement  Co.  has  been  erected.  The  company 
own  a frontage  of  80  rods  on  the  shores  of  Grand  Traverse  bay, 
Sec.  20,  T.  9 N.,  R.  9 W.,  and  the  plant  was  built  at  the  water’s 
edge.  The  surroundings  are  far  more  picturesque  than  usually 
found  accompanying  a large  industrial  institution.  In  a grove  of 
pine  trees  the  various  buildings  were  erected,  and  thrusting  its 
arm  out  into  the  waters  of  the  bay,  a distance  of  1,200  feet,  is  a 
substantial  pier.  At  the  end  16  feet  of  water  is  found,  which  al- 
lows the  largest  boats  on  the  lakes  to  discharge  and  load.  This  dock 
is  equipped  with  clam  shell,  hoisting  engine,  boiler,  etc.,  and  the 
cable  dock  car  system  for  loading  and  conveying  cargoes  to  and  from 
the  plant.  As  lake  transportation  is  generally  cheaper  than  rail, 
the  company  possess  a decided  advantage  in  this  particular.  Tracks 
of  the  Pere  Marquette  also  run  to  the  mills  and  the  company  uses 
both  methods  of  transportation. 

Thirteen  and  one-half  acres  comprise  the  land  owned  by  the 
company,  upon  which  the  plant  has  been  erected.  Two  and  one- 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


245 


half  miles  south  of  the  plant  site,  in  the  extreme  northern  end  of 
Grand  Traverse  county,  is  situated  the  marl  lands  of  the  company. 
This  tract  comprises  350  acres  of  solid  marl.  It  was  formerly  a 
shallow  lake  (Petobago  Lake,  sometimes  called  Tobacco  Lake, 
Sections  5 and  8,  T.  28  N.,  R.  9 W.),  about  20  feet  above  Grand 
Traverse  Bay,  but  the  company  drained  off  the  water  and  the  marl 
is  now  very  easy  to  raise  and  put  into  the  dump  cars  of  the  com- 
pany. This  great  body  of  marl  averages,  in  depth,  throughout  its 
extent  about  18  feet.  Very  little  muck  or  organic  matter  lies  on 
top  of  this  marl  bed  and  it  goes  to  the  mill  in  a very 
pure  state.  They  have  also  recently  bought  some  limestone  lands. 
Within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  plant,  clay  of  fine  quality  has  been 
discovered.  Besides  this  clay  the  company  own  a fine  bed  of  shale 
clay  (Antrim  shale)  on  the  east  half  of  Sec.  3,  T.  33  N.,  R.  7 W.,  on 
Pine  Lake  in  Charlevoix  County,  also  I am  told  in  Lake  Susan, 
Charlevoix  County,  and  if  needed  the  Watervale  lands,  No.  23, 
could  be  acquired. 

“The  buildings  of  the  company  are  quite  extensive  and  are  ar- 
ranged with  the  view  of  economically  handling  the  materials  as 
they  pass  from  one  process  to  another.  The  buildings  comprise, 
frame  coal  storage  building  with  cement  floors,  50x175  feet,  equip- 
ped with  coal  crushers,  two  elevators,  two  screw  conveyors,  rope 
drives.  Concrete  storage  and  packing  buildings,  98x118  feet,  con- 
crete floors  and  conveyors  for  handling  the  cement.  The  capacity 
of  this  building  is  about  30,000  barrels  of  cement.  Machine  and 
blacksmith  shop  of  brick,  30x50  feet;  this  room  is  very  essential 
in  a cement  plant  as  all  necessary  repairs  can  be  made  in  a short 
space  of  time.  This  shop  is  equipped  with  all  of  the  tools  and 
machines  necessary  to  perform  a high  class  of  work. 

“The  engine  and  grinding  rooms  are  in  one  building.  This  is  of 
brick,  80x160  feet,  with  steel  trusses,  iron  roof  and  cement  floors. 
Steam  for  power  is  generated  in  two  Sterling  water  tube  boilers 
of  500  horse  power  and  the  motive  power  consists  of  a 500  horse- 
power Russel  engine,  with  rope  drives,  also  a Westinghouse 
dynamo  and  engine  for  the  lighting  plant.  These  are  separated 
from  the  clinker  room  by  thick  walls.  Four  Griffin  mills  are  re- 
quired to  grind  the  clinker  and  in  this  room  are  clinker  car  con- 
veyors, cement  conveyors  and  elevators. 

The  rotary  building  is  of  brick  set  in  cement  and  is  80x200  feet, 
with  steel  trusses,  iron  roofs,  and  cement  floors.  Here  are  found 
two  pug  mills,  four  tube  mills,  clay  grinder,  six  large  cement  vats, 
ten  steel  slurry  storage  tanks,  12x16  feet  each,  and  five  Bonnet 
steel  rotary  kilns,  6x60  feet,  lined  with  fire  brick  for  burning 
cement  clinker.  The  foundations  of  all  machinery  and  all  ground 
vats  are  constructed  of  solid  concrete,  resting  on  clay  strata  about 
eight  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Besides  these  build- 


246 


MARL. 


ings  there  are  laboratory,  office,  barns,  boarding  house  and  resi- 
dences on  the  ground  and  owned  by  the  company. 

“To  reach  the  marl  beds  the  company  have  built  a standard 
gauge  railroad  and  the  cars  are  propelled  by  a 35-ton  locomotive. 
Economy  in  getting  the  raw  materials  to  the  mills  has  been  sought 
and  the  operation  expenses  are  very  low.  The  road  extends  over 
the  marl  bed  about  half  a mile  and  improved  dredging  apparatus 
is  in  use  there. 

“All  of  the  machinery  was  installed  with  a view  of  increasing 
the  plant  to  10  rotaries  as  soon  as  the  occasion  demands.  As  the 
marl  is  carried  to  the  separating  machine ‘it  is  weighed  and  then 
goes  into  the  separator  where  all  foreign  matter  is  extracted;  then 
the  clay  which  has  been  finely  pulverized  is  added  in  the  quantity 
desired  by  the  chemist  and  it  goes  into  the  pug  mills  and  the  mix- 
ing machines.  After  the  most  thorough  grinding  and  mixing  the 
correction  tanks  are  reached  and  here  the  mixture  is  again  ana- 
lyzed and  corrected  to  the  proper  mixture  desired  to  make  a fine 
grade  of  cement.  Through  the  rotaries  the  slurry  rolls  and  as  it 
leaves  the  far  end  it  has  been  transformed  into  a small  clinker. 
These  clinkers  are  of  irregular  size.  By  means  of  an  automatic 
conveyor  this  clinker  goes  to  the  mill  to  be  ground  into  a fine 
powder.  Test  sheets  are  sent  out  with  each  shipment  and  the 
party  receiving  them  knows  just  what  he  has  purchased.  The 
corps  of  cement  makers  and  chemists  have  been  carefully  selected 
and  every  process  of  manufacture  is  carefully  watched.  A splendid 
system  of  tests  has  been  inaugurated  and  any  hour  of  the  day  test 
sheets  will  show  just  what  results  are  being  accomplished.” 

Wolverine  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Coldwater  Portland  Cement  Co.,  organized  May  25,  1898 ; capital, 
$300,000.  American  Construction  Company,  Michigan  Portland 
Cement  Company,  capital  $2,500,000;  organized  June  30, 1898. 

This  group  of  companies  has  had  a somewhat  varied  financial 
history,  but  this  has  not  prevented  the  steady  production  of  cement 
under  the  “Wolverine”  brand.  The  first  company  planned,  the 
Coldwater,  was  a relatively  modest  affair  with  a capital  stock  of 
$300,000,  $150,000  paid  in  with  640  acres  of  marsh  land,  a building 
to  cost  $100,000  and  to  have  but  500  barrels  capacity.  Soon  the 
plants  and  the  capital  were  enlarged  and  the  original  company 
under  the  name  of  the  American  Construction  Company  took  the 
contract  of  preparing  the  plant,  turning  in  what  it  had  done  to 
the  larger  company,  the  Michigan  P.  C.  Co.,  which  issued  $1,000,- 
000  of  bonds,  covering  the  plant  and  lands,  mainly  in  Coldwater 
and  Bettrel  Townships. 

In  recapitalizing  $100  in  6$  bonds  were  offered  with  every  $100 
of  stock  for  $100  cash.  When,  therefore,  in  the  fall  of  1901  the 
interest  failed  to  be  paid  on  these  bonds  foreclosure  proceedings 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


247 


began,  and  as  a result  of  a compromise  between  the  bondholders, 
which  may  be  taken  to  represent  the  subscribing  public,  and  the 
other  creditors,  prominent  among  which  was  the  Construction 
Company,  representing  the  promoters,  the  present  company  was 
formed. 

The  officers  of  the  Coldwater  Company  were:  John  T.  Holmes 

of  Detroit,  president;  L.  W.  Hoch  of  Adrian,  vice  president;  George 
M.  Conner  of  Detroit,  secretary  and  treasurer.  In  the  Michigan 
Portland  Cement  Co.  W.  L.  Holmes  became  president,  H.  H.  Hatch 
vice  president,  and  John  T.  Holmes  secretary,  while  Mr.  Hoch 
remained  manager  for  a while.  The  officers  were  later  changed. 

This  company,  perhaps  more  than  any  other,  brought  the  cement 
industry  of  Michigan  into  prominence  by  the  thorough  advertis- 
ing they  gave  it  in  placing  the  large  amount  of  stock. 

They  have  two  plants  which  were  visited  by  Mr.  Hale  (page  105). 
One  is  at  Coldwater,  on  the  margin  of  Coldwater  Lake, — a four- 
teen rotary  plant,  said  to  have  cost  $500,000,  with  a capacity  of 
1,500  barrels  a day.  The  other  is  at  Quincy,  and  the  total  capacity 
is  said  to  be  some  3,000  barrels.  Some  of  the  marl  is  said  to  run 
as  high  as  99$  CaC03. 

The  following  are  typical  analyses  of  the  raw  materials  fur- 
nished by  the  chemist,  Mr.  H.  E.  Brown: 


Light  marl 
(dried). 

Blue  marl 
(dried). 

Calcium  carbonate 

93.75 

91.34 

.77 

.42 

Magnesium  “ 

2.42 

Soluble  silica 

.18 

Insoluble  “ 

1.01 

.78 

.55 

Aluminum  oxide  

.55 

Ferric  “ 

.25 

.40 

Sulphur  trioxide 

tr. 

1.84 

.26 

*5.79 

Alkalies  and  rest  (by  difference,) 

Clay,  light 
brown  upper 
layer. 

Blue,  12ft. 
from  surface. 

Silica 

60.59 

57.26 

Titanium  oxide 

.40 

.82 

Aluminum  oxide 

17.70 

20.77 

6.53 

Ferric  oxide 

7.54 

Magnesium  oxide 

1.46 

2.31 

Sulphur  trioxide 

.41 

1.34 

Calcium  oxide 

1.50 

Loss  on  ignition 

8.74 

6.19 

Alkalies 

3.16 

3.28 

• 

♦Determined. 


248 


MARL . 


It  is  to  be  noted  that  all  these  samples  are  dried,  the  loss  on 
ignition  being  to  a slight  extent  C02,  but  mainly  combined  water. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  while  neither  specimen  of  clay  contains 
much  carbonate  of  lime,  being  derived  from  the  Coldwater  shales, 
which  are  practically  free  from  it,  the  superficial  clay  has  the 
least,  and  much  less  sulphur,  showing  that  the  calcium  carbonate 
and  pyrite  have  been  leached  out. 

Tests  of  this  cement  have  been  satisfactory,  and  are  elsewhere 
given. 

“At  various  times  while  the  dredges  have  been  at  work  in  the 
marl  beds  near  the  cement  works,  bones  of  prehistoric  animals — 
or  what  are  supposed  to  be  the  bones  of  extinct  animals — have  been 
exhumed.  Chemist  Brown,  of  the  cement  works,  could  not  deter- 
mine to  what  age  they  belonged  and  has  sent  a box  of  them  to 
Chicago  for  classification.  The  bones  of  elk  and  deer  are  fre- 
quently found,  and  one  workman  on  the  dredge  has  a beautiful 
pair  of  antlers  that  are  as  perfect  and  sound  as  though  just  taken 
from  the  animal.” — Coldwater  Courier. 

Michigan  Alkali  Co.,  Wyandotte  (J.  B.  Ford). 

This  establishment  originally  came  into  Michigan  in  order  to 
make  soda  for  glass  and  other  use,  out  of  the  vast  beds  of  rocksalt 
which  extend  between  Trenton,  Michigan,  all  the  way  along  the 
Detroit  River  and  the  Saint  Clair  River  to  Goderich  in  Canada, 
and  Alpena,  Mich. 

The  limestone  is  obtained  from  the  company^  extensive  quarries 
at  Bellevue  but  having  yielded  its  carbonic  oxide  was  of  no  farther 
use.  To  utilize  this  waste  was  a problem  placed  in  the  hands  of 
their  chemists.  The  plant  was  designed  by  the  engineering  firm  of 
Lathbury  and  Spackman.* 

After  several  trials  a hard  burned,  dark  green  clinker  was  pro- 
duced from  the  mixture  of  100  parts  of  clay  to  260  parts  of  waste, 
by  weight,  and  tests  showed  the  quality  to  be  equal  to  the  best  of 
American  or  imported  cement. 

The  clay  is  dredged  a few  hundred  feet  from  the  company’s  plant, 
and  is  conveyed  to  a stock  shed;  the  clay  is  first  run  through  a 
dryer,  freeing  it  from  water,  then  it  is  pulverized  very  fine  and  put 
into  bins,  then  analyzed  and  properly  proportioned  by  weight  with 
the  lime  which  has  also  undergone  a purifying  process.  The  raw 
materials  are  weighed  exactly  and  the  mixture  is  therefore  abso- 
lutely correct.  Afterward  it  passes  through  both  pug  mill  and 
agitator  and  then  ground.  Proper  proportioning  of  the  raw 
materials  is  the  most  important  factor  in  manufacturing  a perfect 
cement  and  the  product  of  the  Wyandotte  mill  passes  all  chemical 
cement  tests. 


^American  Engineering  Practice,  p.  110  to  118,  with  view  plan  and  profile  from 
which  we  take  the  description  below. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


249 


After  leaving  the  rotaries,  the  clinkers  pass  through  the  finest 
of  grinding  machinery  and  all  cement  is  passed  through  a mechanic- 
ally agitated  screen,  before  passing  into  the  bins,  thus  insuring  a 
uniformly  ground  product.  Here  the  cement  is  thoroughly  sea- 
soned and  none  of  it  leaves  the  bins  for  the  consumer  until  it  is  at 
least  two  months  old. 

During  1900  and  1901,  the  city  of  Detroit  used  Wyandotte  Port- 
land cement  exclusively  for  all  public  work,  which  is  in  itself  a 
fitting  testimonial  as  to  the  efficacy  of  this  superior  product. 

To  show  the  standing  of  Wyandotte  cement  in  the  market  it  is 
but  necessary  to  mention  a few  of  the  buildings  in  which  it  has 
been  exclusively  used.  In  the  mosaic  floors  and  artificial  stone 
walks  of  the  new  Wayne  county  court  house  3,500  barrels  of  the 
Wyandotte  Portland  cement  were  used;  1,200  barrels  in  Brown 
Bros/  tobacco  factory;  4,000  barrels  in  the  engine  foundations  of 
the  Detroit  City  Water  Works  building;  2,000  barrels  in  the  Detroit 
Sugar  Co.’s  plant  at  Rochester,  Michigan;  hundreds  of  barrels  in 
Wonderland  Temple  theater.  Ten  thousand  barrels  of  Wyandotte 
Portland  cement  will  be  required  in  the  construction  of  the  great 
bridge  across  the  Maumee  at  Maumee,  Ohio,  now  being  built  by  the 
Toledo  Terminal  railway  company.  The  engineers,  after  careful 
tests  of  imported  and  American  brands  of  cement,  selected  Wyan- 
dotte cement. 

“The  plant  was  erected  on  the  low  lands  bordering  the  Detroit 
river.  High  grade  materials  were  used  throughout  and  the  process 
made  practically  automatic.  The  buildings,  constructed  of  steel 
with  brick  sides,  have  clear  spans,  the  trusses  being  carried  on 
brick  pilasters.  As  water  and  quicksand  were  discovered  at  two 
feet,  the  walls  were  built  on  brick  arches  which  transferred  the 
entire  weight  to  concrete  piers  extending  to  solid  ground. 

The  mill  building  and  stock  house  are  parallel  twin  buildings, 
each  with  a 42-foot  clear  span;  at  the  north  end  the  roof  is  raised 
and  84-foot  trusses  span  the  width  of  both  buildings,  giving  room 
for  a second  story.  Adjoining  the  mill  room  but  separated  by  brick 
partitions  are  the  coal  grinding,  the  engine  and  the  boiler  rooms. 
The  clay  building,  with  a 30-foot  span,  is  of  steel  and  corrugated 
iron,  and  runs  toward  the  river  at  right  angles  to  the  mill  building. 

The  waste  material  is  transported  to  the  mill  by  a travelling 
crane,  which,  securing  a charge  in  the  soda  plant,  transports  it 
into  the  second  story  of  the  cement  plant.  The  clay,  after  excava- 
tion, is  stored  in  a clay  building,  from  which  it  is  conveyed  to  an 
elevator,  discharging  into  a rotary  dryer,  where  it  is  subjected  to 
the  direct  heat  of  a coal  fire  and  afterwards  passed  through  a 
disintegrator  from  which  it  is  elevated  to  the  second  floor,  and 
discharged  into  steel  bins,  ready  to  be  added  to  the  lime  waste. 

The  raw  mix  passes  through  a pug  mill  on  the  second  floor, 
which  discharges  into  a storage  tank  directly  underneath.  This 
tank  is  provided  with  agitators  which  prevent  any  separation  by 
settling.  From  this  tank  the  slurry  flows  to  wet-grinding  tube 
mills  for  a final  reduction.  These  discharge  into  concrete  pits,  so 
arranged  that  a high  lime  or  clay  slurry  can  be  discharged  into 
32-Pt.  Ill 


250 


MARL. 


any  of  them  to  correct  the  chemical  composition.  After  being 
analyzed  and  corrected  if  necessary,  the  material  is  pumped  to 
steel  storage  tanks  located  in  the  second  story.  Agitators  keep 
the  slurry  in  motion  in  all  pits  until  pumped  into  the  rotary  kilns. 
The  material  is  fed  to  the  kilns  through  water-jacketed  chutes  with 
pulverized  coal;  all  three  kilns  discharge  into  a concrete  pit,  from 
which  it  is  elevated  to  the  cooling  towers. 

Air  is  forced  in  at  the  bottom  of  these  steel  cooling  towers,  12 
feet  in  diameter  and  22  feet  high,  arranged  with  a succession  of 
metal  floors,  having  radial  openings,  through  which  the  clinker  is 
swept  by  a scraper  fitted  to  a central  shaft.  The  clinker  is  moved 
350  degrees  on  each  floor,  before  falling  to  the  next.  Arriving  at 
the  bottom  it  is  elevated  into  steel  bins  over  the  ball  mills,  from 
where  it  is  raised  and  conveyed  to  bins  over  tube  mills  which  finish 
the  cement. 

From  here  the  cement  is  elevated  and  conveyed  by  an  overhead 
conveyor,  through  the  mill  room  wall,  into  the  stock  house,  and  dis- 
charged into  two  lines  of  conveyors  resting  on  the  top  of  the 
storage  bins,  thus  delivering  into  any  bin  desired.  These  bins  have 
hoppered  bottoms  and  are  arranged  in  two  rows  with  a passageway 
between  containing  two  lines  of  screw  conveyors;  these  carry  the 
cement  drawn  from  the  bins  to  an  elevator  at  the  packing  room, 
which  discharges  it  into  the  bins  supplying  the  packing  machinery. 

The  power  plant  consists  of  one  600  H.  P.  tandem  compound  con- 
densing engine,  and  three  water  tube  boilers.  The  river  water 
passes  from  jet  condensers  to  hot  well  from  which  feed  water  for 
the  boilers  is  taken. 

The  engine  is  belted  directly  to  the  main  line  shaft  which  passes 
through  the  engine  room  walls  in  stuffing  boxes,  thus  cutting  out 
the  dust  from  the  mill;  the  engine  room  projecting  beyond  the 
walls  of  the  mill  so  as  to  give  clearance  for  main  shaft.  The 
shafting  is  so  arranged  that  the  power  can  be  cut  out  from  any 
department  by  the  use  of  clutch  couplings. 

A notable  feature  of  the  plant  is  the  relatively  small  area  covered 
by  the  buildings  when  compared  with  the  total  capacity,  making 
it  one  of  the  most  complete  plants  in  operation.  Including  the 
stock  house  with  a capacity  of  40,000  barrels,  all  the  buildings 
cover  an  area  of  only  25,000  square  feet,  and  the  plant  has  a daily 
average  of  450  barrels. 


The  above  plants  are  those  which  were  actually  in  operation  in 
1901.  We  take  up  next  proposed  mills  which  will  in  all  probability 
be  running  before  this  report  is  out.  The  most  extensive  in  plans 
will  be  the  Hecla,  which  will  be  a group  of  allied  industries,  more 
like  the  Michigan  Alkali  Company  last  mentioned.  The  remaining 
three  are  Portland  cement  propositions  pure  and  simple. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


251 


Hecla  Cement  and  Coal  Co. 

Organized  April  6,  1901.  Capital  $5,000,000,  in  shares  of  $100. 
A West  Virginia  corporation,  but  with  offices  in  Detroit  and  busi- 
ness centering  around  Bay  City,  consisting  of  marl  lands  in  Oge- 
maw county,  and  coal  and  clay  shale  lands  in  Bay  county. 

The  officers  and  directors  of  the  company  are:  Julius  Stroh,  presi- 
dent; Cameron  Currie,  first  vice  president;  Waldo  Avery,  second 
vice  president;  Edward  H.  Parker,  treasurer;  U.  B.  Loranger,  sec- 
retary; Lem  W.  Bowen,  Theodore  D.  Buhl,  James  N.  WTright,  M. 
M.  Green. 

Briefly  the  plans  of  the  company  can  be  outlined  as  follows : The 
manufacture  of  Portland  cement  from  dry  marl  and  clay  shale; 
the  mining  of  coal,  of  which  the  lump  will  be  marketed  and  the 
slack  used  in  the  manufacture  of  cement  and  the  creation  of  power 
to  run  the  great  mills;  the  evaporation  of  salt  in  large  quantities 
with  the  exhaust  steam  and  hot  gases  escaping  from  the  rotaries; 
the  by-products  of  salt  and  limestone  to  be  used  in  the  running  of 
a large  chemical  plant;  the  erection  of  coke  ovens,  also  used  as 
an  auxiliary  to  the  plants;  the  operation  of  a standard  gauge  rail- 
road to  be  utilized  for  hauling  the  coal  to  the  dock  of  the  company 
for  lake  shipment  as  well  as  the  raw  materials  to  the  cement  plant. 

The  novel  features  of  their  plans  are, — the  transportation  of  the 
marl  to  the  clay  and  shipping  point,  instead  of  building  the  factory 
at  the  marl  bed;  the  use  of  waste  coal  and  slack,  and  especially  of 
Michigan  coal,  as  well  as  clay  and  marl;  the  utilization  of  by-pro- 
ducts and  waste  heat,  and  the  employment  of  a dry  process.  Ordi- 
narily the  marl  being  the  most  bulky  raw  material,  does  not  pay  to 
ship.  In  this  case,  however,  we  have  to  counterbalance  it  a saving- 
on  shipping  coal,  clay  and  cement,  while  the  marl  comes  down 
grade. 

In  the  planning  of  the  plant,  marl  analyses  have  been  made  by 
*R.  E.  Doolittle,  State  Analyst,  Lathbury  and  Spackman,  and  others. 
To  the  courtesy  of  TJ.  R.  Loranger  we  owe  details  of  the  company’s 
analyses  which  cover  a range  of  materials  and  have  a scientific 
value  in  showing  how  analyses  of  such  material  run  in  the  State. 
We  append  extracts  from  the  reports  of  some  of  their  experts. 
Beside  the  draining  of  the  lakes  and  handling  of  the  marl  or 
boglime  dry,*  another  important  feature  of  this  plant  is  the 
proposed  utilization  of  shales  of  the  coal  measures. 


*Edwards  Lake  has  been  lowered. 


252 


MABL. 


One  mile  of  river  front  on  the  Saginaw  river,  near  the  mouth, 
and  only  a short  distance  below  West  Bay  City,  is  owned  by  the 
Hecla  company,  where  the  cement  plant  has  been  erected.  The 
erection  of  this  plant  will  shortly  be  followed  by  the  other  mills 
included  in  the  general  plan  of  development. 

The  company  owns  about  6,000  acres  of  coal  lands,  about  800 
acres  of  marl  land,  2,000  acres  of  lime  rock,  and  a mill  site  with 
nearly  a mile  of  river  front  on  the  mouth  of  the  Saginaw  river,  and 
is  incorporated  to  manufacture  and  sell  Portland  cement,  alkali, 
salt,  paving  and  fire  brick,  coal,  fire  clay,  etc.  Experts  who  have 
looked  over  the  property  say  that  by  reason  of  the  fuel  situation, 
with  coal  deposits  under  the  company's  mill  site,  it  will  possess  a 
great  advantage  over  those  who  are  obliged  to  buy  their  coal  in  the 
open  market  and  pay  freight  on  it.  The  company  will  sell  the  lump 
coal  and  use  its  slack  coal. 

The  four  marl  lakes,  known  as  George,  Edwards,  Chapman  and 
Plummer,  are  located  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Tittabawassee 
River,  and  all  within  the  radius  of  five  miles  in  the  township  of 
Edwards,  Ogemaw  county,  Michigan,  Plummer  being  on  the  Hamp- 
ton branch  of  the  M.  C.  R.  R.,  and  the  others  lying  two,  three  and 
four  miles  respectively,  from  the  same.  There  is  a roadbed  already 
constructed  and  in  very  fair  condition,  extending  from  Plummer 
Lake  to  Edwards  Lake. 

Your  next  deposit,  known  as  Crapo  Lake,  lies  a little  less  than 
two  and  one-half  miles  northeasterly  from  the  village  of  West 
Branch,  on  the  Michigan  Central  railroad,  in  Ogemaw  county, 
Michigan,  and  about  six  miles  north  of  George  Lake. 

Your  Mills  Lake  deposit  is  located  about  four  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  village  of  Prescott,  on  the  Prescott  branch  of  the  Detroit 
& Mackinac  railway,  in  Mills  township,  Ogemaw  county. 

George  Lake. 

The  property  at  George  Lake  was  found  to  consist  of  380  acres, 
of  which  200  acres  are  covered  with  marl.  The  marl  is  high  quality, 
as  shown  by  the  following  analysis,  which  is  an  average  of  samples 
taken  from  borings  over  the  entire  lake.  Lab.  No.  662  (see  p.260). 

The  chemical  composition  of  the  clay  is  shown  by  two  average 
samples  taken  from  the  deposits  as  follows:* 

Lab.  No.  712  (see  p.  266  ).  Lab.  No.  713  (see  p.  266). 

This  lake  presents  probably  the  deepest  deposit  of  marl  of  any 
owned  by  you,  many  borings  showing  a depth  of  from  27  to  34 
feet,  but  the  dry  marl  is  thickly  covered  with  a growth  of  small 
trees  and  brushwood,  and  a large  portion  of  the  deepest  marl  is 

*It  will  be  noticed  that  these  and  all  the  other  clays  which  are  surface  clays  in 
connection  with  the  marl  deposits  are  about  one-fourth  to  one-fifth  carbonates, 
with  generally  5 $ MgO.  The  company  is  depending  not  on  these,  but  on  shale  clays 
of  the  coal  measures. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


253 


under  water  of  considerable  depth.  The  water  in  this  lake  could, 
however,  be  reduced  by  deepening  the  channel  at  the  outlet,  but  it 
is  a question  whether  a sufficient  change  of  water  level  could  be 
made  without  an  expenditure  of  a considerable  sum  of  money. 

Edwards  Lake. 

Edwards  Lake  lies  in  a southwesterly  direction  from  George 
Lake  and  is  about  three  miles  distant.  It  contains  the  largest 
acreage  of  marl  of  any  of  your  deposits.  The  land  owned  by  you 
here  aggregates  about  400  acres,  of  which  240  acres  are  covered 
with  marl,  of  an  average  depth  of  20  feet.  The  lands  of  this  prop- 
erty are  situated  in  sections  21,  22  and  27,  and  a second  body  is 
located  about  one  mile  eastward  on  the  stream  formed  by  the 
outlet.  The  clay  deposits  immediately  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake 
extends  under  the  surface,  and  has  been  found  by  careful  examin- 
ation to  cover  a tract  one-half  mile  square,  and  is  of  good  depth, 
though  overlaid  to  some  extent  with  sand  and  gravel.  A second 
deposit  further  down  the  creek  has  been  explored  for  about  40 
acres,  and  shows  a depth  of  20  feet,  at  which  point  the  bottom  was 
not  reached. 

The  analyses  of  these  two  clays  are  as  follows : 

Lab.  No.  658  Edwards  Lake,  No.  1 (see  p.  266). 

Lab.  No.  676.  Edwards  Lake,  No.  2 (see  p.  266). 

The  marls  are  also  of  most  excellent  quality,  as  shown  by  the 
following  analysis,  which  represents  an  average  of  some  thirty 
samples  taken  in  various  parts  of  the  lake. 

Lab.  No.  659.  Edwards  Lake  Marl  (see  p.  260). 


Chapman  Lake. 

Chapman  Lake  is  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  Edwards 
township,  sections  31  and  32.  The  property  owned  by  you  here  con- 
sists of  some  230  acres,  of  which  160  are  marl.  Chapman  Lake  is 
fully  equal  in  the  quality  of  the  marl  to  the  preceding  lakes,  and 
partakes  equally  with  Edwards  Lake  in  the  advantages  resulting 
from  being  readily  drained. 

An  average  analysis  of  Chapman  Lake  is  as  follows : 

Lab.  No.  663.  Chapman  Lake  Marl  (see  p.  260). 

The  clay  deposits  examined  in  connection  with  this  lake  are 
located  in  section  7,  Clement  township,  Gladwin  county,  about 
three  miles  distant  from  the  lake.  The  bed  is  over  40  feet  thick, 
and  has  been  explored  for  a distance  of  over  one-half  a mile. 

An  average  analysis  of  this  clay  is  as  follows: 

Lab.  No.  660.  (Sec.  7,  see  p.266). 

Another  clay  deposit  in  section  3,  same  township  and  county  was 
examined,  an  average  analysis  of  which  is  as  follows: 

Lab.  No.  661.  (Sec.  3,  see  p/266). 


254 


MAUL. 


Plummer  Lake. 

Plummer  Lake  is  the  smallest  of  the  group,  but  is  advantage- 
ously located  with  regard  to  railroad  transportation.  The  Haupt- 
man  branch  of  the  Michigan  Central  railroad  passes  through  your 
property  at  this  point.  The  lake  is  situated  about  seven  miles  west 
from  the  main  line  of  the  Michigan  Central  railroad.  At  this 
point  the  property  owned  by  you  comprises  some  120  acres  of  land, 
of  which  about  40  acres  are  marl,  which  is  of  exceptional  purity, 
and  only  a small  portion  of  it  covered  with  water.  The  clay  on 
this  deposit  lies  in  direct  conjunction  with  the  marl  at  the  east 
end  of  the  lake,  and  runs  down  under  the  marl  at  the  southern 
side.  The  clay  deposit  is  covered  with  about  three  feet  of  surface 
earth  and  is  40  acres  in  extent.  The  clay  average  is  eight  feet  in 
depth. 

An  average  sample  of  the  marl  shows  the  following  analysis: 

Lab.  No.  623.  Plummer  Lake  marl  (see  p.  260). 

The  analysis  of  the  clay  shows  the  best  chemical  composition 
for  the  manufacture  of  cement  of  any  deposits  examined  in  con- 
nection with  the  marl  deposits,  and  is  as  follows: 

Lab.  No.  675.  Plummer  Lake  clay  (see  p.  266).* 


Crapo  Lake. 

Crapo  Lake  is  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  line  of  the 
Michigan  Central  railroad,  about  two  miles  northeast  of  the  village 
of  West  Branch  in  West  Branch  township,  sections  7,  8 and  16. 
The  property  comprises  340  acres,  of  which  about  240  acres  are 
marl.  This  deposit  has  an  average  depth  of  about  12  feet,  and  is 
covered  with  a light  growth  of  grass  and  brushwood,  with  a top 
coat  of  muck  six  inches  deep.  The  brushwood  can  very  readily  be 
burned  off,  while  the  level  of  the  lake  can  no  doubt  be  lowered  con- 
siderably by  deepening  the  channel  at  the  creek  outlet,  and  thereby 
exposing  nearly  all  the  deposit.  About  two-thirds  of  this  body  of 
marl  occurs  in  the  low  swampy  basin  which  was  formerly  covered 
with  water.  At  the  present  time  several  narrow  channels  pass 
through  the  deposit  with  here  and  there  a small  lake,  all  of  which 
drains  into  the  west  branch  of  the  Rifle  River. 

The  marl  in  the  small  lakes  shows  a depth  of  at  least  15  feet,  while 
the  water  ranges  in  depth  from  two  to  fifteen  feet.  This  deposit 
is  entirely  free  from  grit;  analysis  of  samples  shows  it  to  be  of 
uniform  quality  and  containing  a high  percentage  of  carbonate  of 
lime.  Average  analyses  of  samples  taken  from  this  lake  give  the 
following  results: 

Lab.  No.  891.  Crapo  Lake  marl,  No.  1 (seep.  260). 

Lab.  No.  896.  Crapo  Lake  marl,  No.  2 (see  p.  260). 


*See,  as  regards  the  availability  of  surface  clays,  pp.  267  and  268. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


255 


The  clay  lands  of  the  deposit  are  located  along  the  bank  of  the 
lake,  in  sections  9 and  16,  and  cover  about  40  acres,  while  the  depth 
is  about  30  feet. 

Analyses  of  samples  of  these  clays  give  the  following' results: 

Lab.  No.  822.  Section  9 (see  p.  265',. 

Lab.  No.  823.  Average  of  section  10. 

Mills  Lake. 

Mills  Lake  deposit,  located  in  Mills  township,  in  sections  24  and 
25,  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  line  of  the  Michigan  Central  rail- 
road, and  about  four  miles  from  Prescott  on  the  D.  & M.  railroad. 
This  property  covering  360  acres  of  land  contains  about  160  acres 
of  marl.  The  main  body  of  marl  occurs  in  the  lake  under  water, 
whose  depth  ranges  from  three  to  fifteen  feet.  The  marl  itself, 
has  an  average  depth  in  the  lakes  of  about  20  feet.  At  the  north 
end  of  the  lake  a considerable  part  of  the  deposit  of  the  marl  is 
covered  by  water  whose  depth  does  not  exceed  three  feet,  and  the 
entire  lake  level  can  be  readily  lowered  by  deepening  the  creek, 
and  removing  the  log  obstructions  at  the  outlet.  This  will  expose 
about  three-fourths  of  the  deposit.  The  marl  in  the  lake  is  very 
uniform  in  quality,  but  in  several  spots  is  covered  with  a slight 
growth  of  vegetable  matter;  below  this,  however,  the  marl  is  of 
very  great  purity,  having  no  topping  or  muck. 

An  average  analyis  of  samples  taken  from  this  gives  the  follow- 
ing results: 

Lab.  No.  895.  Mills  Lake  marl,  No.  4 (see  p.  260). 

The  clay  deposits  in  connection  with  this  lake  are  located  about 
one-half  mile  below  the  lake  outlet,  bordering  both  sides  of  the 
creek  draining  same  and  covering  about  80  acres.  It  is  over  30 
feet  in  thickness,  and  an  average  analysis  gives  the  following 
results: 

Lab.  No.  904.  Clay  marked  No.  — 04  (see  p.  263). 

Lab.  No.  905.  Clay  marked  No.  2 — 05. 

Samples  of  shale  were  taken  from  borings  in  four  different  loca- 
tions on  your  coal  field  which  show  an  extensive  acreage,  running 
from  five  to  fifty  feet.  The  analyses  of  four  samples  of  these  shales 
are  as  follows: 

Lab.  No.  727.  Light  shale  (see  p.  265). 

Lab.  No.  728.  Dark  shale  (see  p.  265). 

Lab.  No.  863.  Goetz  shale,  No.  1 (see  p.  265). 

Lab.  No.  906.  Clay  marked  06  (see  p.  263). 

These  shales  are  all  suitable  for  combining  directly  with  your 
marl  in  the  manufacture  of  the  Portland  cement;  Lab.  No.  727  and 
Lab.  No.  906,  being  especially  good. 


256 


MARL. 


The  coal  properties  are  taken  up  and  discussed  in  detail  by  the 
report  of  Mr.  Brown,  superintendent  of  the  N.  A.  Chemical  Com- 
pany’s coal  mines,  and  the  report  of  Lippencott  & McNeil,  mining 
engineers. 

The  raw  material  after  being  mixed,  ground  and  burned  in  a set 
kiln,  was  ground,  and  the  cement  showed  the  following  results : 


Lab.  No.  921. 

Silica  (Si02) 19.71* 

Alumina  and  iron  oxide  (A1203 — Fe203) 11.03 

Lime  CaO 64.25 

Magnesia  (MgO) 2.20 

Sulphuric  acid  (S03) 1.42 


The  marl  was  taken  from  your  property  at  West  Branch,  and  the 
shale  from  your  property  at  Bay  City. 

In  addition  to  the  above  analysis  the  finished  cement  was  sub- 
jected to  physical  tests  with  the  following  results: 


CEMENT  TEST. 

Fineness.  Setting  Test. 

No.  100  sieve 99.01$  Initial  set  1 hr.  40  mim 

No.  200  sieve 84.70#  Final  set  6 hrs.  15  min. 


Gold  Water  Test  Good. 

Hot  Water  Test  Good. 

Tensile  Tests. 

Neat  4-8  Hours. 

Briquette  No.  14,870  257  lbs. 
Briquette  1 235  lbs. 

Briquette  2 225  lbs. 


Average 


239  lbs. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


257 


cement  test. — Continued. 


Neat. 

Briquette  No.  14,880 
Briquette  1 

Briquette  2 

Briquette  3 

Briquette  4 


585  lbs. 
675  lbs. 
520  lbs. 
640  lbs. 
675  lbs. 


7 Days. 

3 to  1. 

Briquette  No.  14,885  190  lbs. 

Briquette  6 155  lbs. 

Briquette  7 140  lbs. 

Briquette  8 225  lbs. 


Average 


Average 


Neat. 

Briquette  No.  14,890 
Briquette  1 

Briquette  2 


177  lbs. 

619  lbs. 

28  Days. 

3 to  1. 

7 80  lbs.  Briquette  No.  14, 895  236  lbs. 


742  lbs. 
755  lbs. 


Briquette 

Briquette 


6 270  lbs. 

7 242  lbs. 


Average  759  lbs.  Average  249  lbs. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

(Signed)  LATHBURY  & SPACKMAN. 

The  following  extensive  suites  of  boglime  analyses,  which  we 
owe  to  Mr.  U.  R.  Loranger,  are  of  especial  value,  as  not  select,  but 
showing  much  better  how  an  average  deposit  runs,  than  select 
analyses  which  are  published  in  prospectuses.  In  regard  to  these 
analyses,  however,  as  to  many  others,  it  must  be  remarked  that 
probably  what  was  directly  determined  was:  calcium;  magnesium; 
residue  insoluble  in  Hpl,  which  is  called  sand  and  clay,  or  silica; 
iron  oxide  and  aluminum  oxide  precipitated  together;  and  sul- 
phuric anhydride.  The  calcium  and  magnesium  are  estimated  as 
carbonates,  and  the  difference  between  the  total  then  and  100  per 
cent  is  called  organic  matter.  But  direct  determination  of  the 
carbon  dioxide  shows  as  we  have  elsewhere  mentioned,  that  it  falls 
short  of  the  amount  calculated  as  sufficient  to  turn  the  calcium 
and  magnesium  into  oxides  by  some  two  per  cent.  This  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  part  of  the  calcium  is  combined  with  the  sulphuric 
anhydride,  and  somewhat  more  with  an  organic  acid  (succinic  acid). 
In  practice,  however,  the  calcium  succinate  would  probably  be  soon 
broken  up  on  heating  into  calcium  carbonate  and  organic  matter, 
so  that  it  does  not  make  much  practical  difference. 

33-Pt.  Ill 


258 


MARL. 


BOGLIME  ANALYSES  BY  R.  E.  DOOLITTLE. 


Sample  No. 

* 

2 

3 

4 

6 

8 

X 

8 ft 

9 

E 

Calcium  as  Car- 
bonate  

84.45 

83.42 

77.70 

90.64 

91.14 

92.50 

88.61 

90.69 

91.31 

87.39 

Magnesium  as 
carbonate 

2.76 

2.03 

3.43 

2.30 

2.62 

0.39 

2.25 

1.58 

0.34 

1.22 

Sand  and  clay 
(insol.) 

7.37 

7.89 

14.25 

2.04 

2.25 

1.01 

5.33 

3.87 

1.63 

4.99 

Iron  and  alumi- 
num oxide 

0.82 

1.69 

1.13 

0.64 

0.95 

0.90 

0.58 

0.36 

1.00 

0.92 

Sulphuric  anhy- 
dride  

0.60 

0.83 

0.48 

0.47 

1.00 

1.97 

0.45 

0.43 

1.91 

1.70 

Difference  (or- 
ganic)   

4.00 

4.14 

3.01 

3.91 

2.04 

3.23 

2.78 

3.07 

3.81 

3.78 

Totals 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Sample  No.  or 
mark. 

Chap- 

man. 

Dun- 

ham. 

No.  10 

No.  12 

No.  20 

No.  19 

No.  21 

Camp- 

bell 

Lake 

E.Side. 

Frost 

Dam. 

Plum- 

mer 

Lake. 

Calcium  as  car- 
bonate  

89.86 

85.17 

86.95 

90.01 

89.44 

89.92 

89.66 

87.24 

63.14 

87  25 

Magnesium  car- 

bonate  

0.54 

1 02 

0.80 

2.78 

0.82 

0.80 

2.18 

3.56 

3.08 

1.57 

Silica 

3.45 

7.66 

4.17 

1.25 

2.36 

3.50 

3.16 

3.46 

5 18.93 
( 6.28 

3.54 

Alumina 

1.46 

1.38 

1.76 

0.44 

0.54 

0.72 

0.44 

0.80 

3.14 

1.94 

Iron  oxide 

0.30 

0.32 

0.40 

0.36 

0.34 

0.30 

0.42 

0.40 

0.62 

1.08 

Sulphur  anhy- 

dride   

1.78 

2.34 

3.52 

2.08 

2.98 

2.22 

1.92 

2.30 

1.76 

2.26 

Organic  matter 

by  difference. . 

2.61 

2.11 

2.40 

3.08 

3.52 

2.54 

2.22 

2.24 

3.05 

2.36 

Totals 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Sample  No. 

1 is  from  Edwards  Lake,  T.  21  N.,  R.  1 E.,  11  feet  thick. 

2 is  from  Edwards  Lake,  “a  little  high  in  clay.” 

3 is  from  Edwards  Lake,  “very  high  in  clay  with  some  sand,  not 

a good  sample.” 

4 is  from  Plummer  Lake,  “a  very  good  sample.” 

5 is  from  Plummer  Lake,  “fair;  rather  high  in  sulphuric  acid.” 

8 is  from  Plummer  Lake,  “fair;  rather  high  in  sulphuric  acid.” 

X is  from  Plummer  Lake,  “ a good,  fair  sample.” 

8 feet,  Chapman  Lake,  “a  very  good  sample.” 

9 Chapman  Lake,  “fairly  good  marl  though  a little  high  in  sul- 

phuric acid.” 

E.  Chapman  Lake,  “good,  fair  sample,  a little  high  in  sulphuric 
acid.” 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS . 


259 


On  the  whole,  the  above  set  of  analyses  run  high  in  silica  for  bog- 
limes,  and  especially  in  sulphur  anhydride, — gypsum. 

The  first  analysis  of  the  second  set  comes  from  Chapman  Lake, 
like  No.  9,  of  the  previous  set. 

The  next  comes  from  Dunham  Lake,  Sec.  19,  T.  21  N.,  R.  1 E. 

No.  10  comes  from  Campbell  Lake  in  the  same  township. 

Nos.  12,  20,  19,  21,  and  the  rest  of  this  set  are  all  from  this  town- 
ship. 

All  the  above  samples  were  analyzed  by  R.  E.  Doolittle,  State 
Analyst,  and  as  regards  the  amount  of  sulphuric  anhydride,  which 
is  high,  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  lakes  are  in  a region  just  south 
of  that  where  the  Michigan  series  is  bedrock,  in  which  gypsum 
occurs  frequently  in  the  drift.  Some  of  the  limes  highest  in  sul- 
phates are  not  high  in  iron,  and  the  sulphates  are  probably  not 
largely  derived  from  pyrite.  Silica  is  also  often  high.  Of  the 
sample  at  the  First  Dam,  18.93$  is  soluble  silica  and  fine  sand, 
6.28$  coarser  sand. 


Calcium  as  carbonate. . . . 

80.89 

80.78 

85.46 

97.09 

Magnesium  as  carbonate. 

0.43 

3.20 

3.74 

1.44 

Silica  

7.96 

7.96 

3.74 

0 

Alumina  

3.74 

1.76 

1.88 

Iron  oxide 

0.62 

1.16 

0.40 

trace 

Sulphur  anhydride 

Organic  matter  by  differ- 

1.94 

2.51 

1.28 

0 

ence  

4.42 

2.63 

3.50 

1.47 

Totals,  100.00. 

Of  the  set  above,  the  first  is  from  Plummer  Lake,  the  second  is 
also  (“A”).  The  third  is  from  Campbell’s  Lake,  west  side;  the 
fourth  from  Plummer  Lake,  and  all  are  by  R.  E.  Doolittle.  The 
first  three  have  too  much  sand  for  cement, — better  analyses  are  to 
be  found  in  the  other  sets.  There  is  more  iron  in  the  marls  with 
sand  and  clay.  In  the  pure  boglimes  it  is  only  a fraction  of  a per 
cent. 


260 


MARL. 


BOGLIME  ANALYSES  BY  LATHBURY  AND  SPACKMAN. 


Sample  No. 

662 

659 

663 

623 

891 

896 

892 

893 

894 

895 

Calcium  oxide. . 

58.28 

51.44 

50.83 

52.38 

49.45 

50.75 

48.74 

49.47 

49.37 

50.43 

Magnesium 

oxide. 

1.22 

1.23 

0. 89 

1.49 

1.33 

1.46 

1.46 

1.44 

1.28 

1.26 

Loss  on  ignition 

46.34 

43.32 

45.05 

44.31 

46.06 

45.02 

46.51 

47.30 

47.29 

47.08 

Calcium  as  car- 

bonate  

93.35 

91.85 

90.76 

93.53 

88.30 

90.62 

87.04 

88.34 

88.16 

90.05 

Magnesium  as 

carbonate  — 

2.56 

2.58 

1.86 

3.13 

2.78 

3.06 

3.05 

3.01 

2.68 

2.64 

Organic  matter, 
(loss  on  ignition 

less  C02) 

3.93 

1.56 

4.15 

1.52 

5.76 

3.55 

6.62 

6.87 

7.10 

6.08 

Silica 

0.72 

3.14 

2.23 

1.78 

1.64 

1.46 

2.45 

1.08 

0.97 

0.70 

Iron  and  alumi- 

num oxide 

0.57 

0.75 

0.64 

0.61 

0.61 

0.36 

0.56 

0.68 

0.46 

0.46 

Difference 

+1.13 

0.12 

0.36 

0.57 

.91 

0.95 

.28 

.04 

.63 

.07 

Totals  

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100-.00 

Lab.  No.  662  is  an  analysis  of  an  average  of  samples  taken  all 
over  George  Lake,  Sec.  13,  T.  21  N.,  R.  1 E. ; of  a property  of  380 
acres,  200  are  covered  with  boglime. 

Lab.  No.  659  is  an  analysis  of  the  average  of  30  samples  from 
Edwards  Lake,  Sections  21,  22,  27,  28,  of  the  same  township.  There 
is  said  to  be  240  acres  of  marl  that  averages  20  feet  thick.  The 
outlet  from  the  lake  to  the  Tittabawassee  has  been  cleaned  out, 
draining  the  boglime. 

Lab.  No.  663  is  an  average  analysis  from  Chapman  Lake  in  Sec- 
tions 31  and  32  on  the  same  township.  There  is  said  to  be  some 
160  acres  of  boglime  here,  also  readily  drained. 

Lab.  No.  623  is  an  analysis  of  an  average  sample  from  Plummer 
Lake,  near  Sec.  8 of  the  same  township,  close  to  the  Hauptman 
branch  of  the  Michigan  Central.  There  is  only  about  40  acres,  but 
of  very  nice  lime,  and  in  conjunction  with  a clay  deposit  elsewhere 
analyzed. 

Lab.  No.  891  is  from  Crapo  Lake,  Sections  7,  8,  and  16,  T.  22  N., 
R.  2 E.  Here  there  are  said  to  be  about  240  acres  of  lime  with  an 
average  depth  of  about  12  feet,  covered  with  a top  coat  of  peatmuck 
about  six  inches  thick,  and  a growth  of  grass  and  brushwood.  It 
is  said  that  about  two-thirds  of  the  body  of  marl  occurs  in  a low 
swampy  basin,  an  old  filled  lake,  now  traversed  by  several  narrow 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


261 


channels,  with  a small  remnant  lake  here  and  there,  the  whole 
draining  into  Rifle  River  in  such  a way  that  much  of  it  can  be  easily 
drained. 

Lab.  No.  896  is  from  the  same  lake. 

Nos.  892  to  895  are  Mills  Lake  marls,  Nos.  1 to  4,  Sections  24  and 
25,  T.  21  N.,  R.  3 E.  Here  there  is  about  160  acres  of  marl,  mainly 
in  the  lake  under  from  three  to  fifteen  feet  of  water,  but  the  out- 
let, it  is  said,  can  be  readily  deepened.  There  is  a slight  growth  of 
vegetable  matter  over  in  some  spots,  but  there  is  said  to  be  no 
muck  topping. 

The  somewhat  larger  amount  of  organic  matter  in  the  Mills  Lake 
and  Crapo  Lake  analyses  is  attributed  by  Lathbury  & Spackman, 
who  collected  and  analyzed  them,  to  the  relatively  superficial  char- 
acter of  the  samples,  and  consequent  larger  amount  of  vegetable 
matter. 


ANALYSES  BY  R.  C.  KEDZIE. 


Clays,  Sample  No. 

7B 

36 

Sand  

1.10 

0.95 

Silicate  of  alumina 

46.70 

45.66 

Carbonate  of  calcium 

15.30 

18.40 

Carbonate  of  magnesium 

2.63 

1.50 

Oxide  of  iron 

8.15 

6.90 

Water  

. . . . . 25.00 

24.00 

Difference 

Totals,  100.00. 

1.12 

2.69 

These  analyses  were  of  clay  near 
& Spackman’s  analysis. 

Plummer  Lake; 

see  Lathbury 

Marls  sample. 

Mills. 

Crapo. 

Calcium  as  carbonate 

84.50 

88.57 

Magnesium  as  carbonate 

2.20 

1.50 

Insoluble  (as  sand,  etc.) 

1.00 

2.00 

Oxide  of  iron,  etc 

Difference  (water  and  organic 

.50 

1.00 

matter)  

Totals,  100.00. 

. . . . . 11.80 

6.93 

These  two  samples  from  Mills  Lake  and  Crapo  Lake  respectively, 
should  be  compared  with  Lathbury’s  analyses  from  the  same  place 
(891  to  896).  The  Crapo  Lake  analyses  agree  quite  closely.  The 

Mills  Lake  lime  either  contains  more  organic  matter 

or  is  less  dry. 

262 


MARL. 


CLAY  ANALYSES  BY  F.  S.  KEDZIE. 


Sample  No. 

Bay. 

2. 

Plummer. 

I. 

Standish. 

3. 

Silica 

58.95 

54.88 

44.27 

42.53 

36.52 

39.10 

Aluminum  oxide 

14.45 

6.80 

12.86 

11.12 

8.93 

12.38 

Iron  oxide 

7.60 

5.52 

5.76 

5.96 

2.80 

3.36 

Calcium  oxide 

2.94 

15.42 

16.20 

16.16 

19.03 

17.00 

Magnesium  oxide 

.86 

5.50 

6.62 

5.97 

7.26 

3.10 

so3 

1.73 

2.62 

) 

3.68 

3.32 

) 

2.92 

) 

Alkalies  as  K20 

2.54 

3.46+ 

Comb,  water 

Organic  matter  and  loss 

7.50 

3.43 

V 9.26+ 

[■  10.61+ 

V 14.60+ 

2.74 

19.26* 

V 22.14 

Total 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

101.40 

105.69 

100.00 

t Difference.  * C02.  % Manganese  tr. 


With  the  exception  of  the  first  analysis,  which  is  of  a Bay  County 
shale,  and  is  a “good  clay;  it  is  entirely  free  from  calcium  carbon- 
ate, and  is  to  be  recommended  for  its  content  of  silica  and  freedom 
from  grit,”  the  rest  are  surface  clays  with  the  usual  large  amounts 
of  carbonates,  and  considerable  percentages  of  magnesia.  A num- 
ber are,  I believe,  near  Standish.  No.  3 is  from  Plummer’s  Lake. 
Compare  Lathbury  & Spackman's  analysis  675,  which  runs  much 
higher  in  silica.  The  percentages  of  calcium  and  magnesium  as 
carbonates  are  as  follows: 

Calcium  carbonate 5.25  27.58  28.96  28.90  33.99  32.00 

Magnesium  carbonate  . . . 1.80  11.51  13.84  12.50  15.25  6.49 


7.05  39.09  42.80  41.40  49.24  38.49 

In  the  Standish  analysis  in  which  the  C02  is  determined,  it  will 
be  noted  that  the  sum  of  the  calcium  oxide,  magnesium  oxide  and 
carbon  dioxide  is  but  45.55  per  cent,  while  the  sum  of  the  carbon- 
ates as  above  given,  is  49.24,  which  shows  that  not  all  the  calcium 
and  magnesium  oxide  are  combined  as  carbonates,  but  some,  espe- 
cially of  the  magnesia,  probably  are  present  as  silicate. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS 


263 


CLAY  ANALYSES  BY  R.  E.  DOOLITTLE. 


Sample  No. 

5 

11 

C 

“lift” 

Coarse  sand 

2.00 

11.60 

1.00 

14.70 

Silica 

42.56 

40.76 

44.02 

44.29 

Alumina 

9.47 

10.05 

13.36 

9.00 

Iron  oxide 

3.56 

2.70 

1.82 

2.60 

Calcium  oxide  . . . 

15.15 

14.80 

17.28 

14.45 

Magnesium  oxide. 

5.95 

7.45 

2.60 

6.26 

Sulphur  anhydride 

1.06 

1.73 

2.36 

1.50 

Difference 

Totals,  100.00. 

20.25 

10.76 

17.56 

7.20 

No.  5 is  from  Edwards  township,  No.  11  the  same  , but  contains 
too  much  sand  and  gravel  for  cement  making.  0 is  the  same  in 
location.  The  other  is  from  Chapman  Lake. 

These  clays  are  all  surface  clays,  with  35  to  40  per  cent  carbon- 
ates, and  a high  but  variable  percentage  of  magnesia.  Owing  to 
the  large  amount  of  carbonates  it  would  be  necessary  to  use  a large 
amount  of  clay,  and  it  would  be  hard  to  keep  the  magnesium  as  low 
as  desirable,  or,  I fear,  the  composition  uniform. 

It  is  not  intended  to  use  any  of  these  clays  for  cement  manu- 
facture, though  similar  clays  have  been  sometimes  endorsed. 


CLAY  ANALYSES  BY  LATHBURY  AND  SPACEMAN. 


Sample  No. 

1-04 

2-05 

06 

02 

03 

01 

870 

867 

849 

Silica 

39.34 

35.12 

65.24 

44.60 

40.76 

48.88 

48.52 

54.06 

51.40 

Iron  and  al.  oxide 

15.93 

1351 

23.56 

13.11 

15.39 

22.17 

20.67 

24.01 

29.30 

Lime 

14.76 

16.46 

0.00 

11.47 

12.83 

6.65 

6.63 

.12 

.15 

Magnesia 

6.13 

7.52 

1.11 

7.09 

6.83 

4.50 

2.58 

2.85 

2.23 

Loss  on  ignition 

19.58 

22.08 

6.72 

17.91 

18.35 

12.51 

14.03 

9.56 

11.84 

Difference  (alkalies) 

4.26 

5.31 

3.37 

5.82 

5.04 

5.29 

7.57 

9.40 

*5.08 

Totals 

100.00 

100.00 

104.99 

100.00 

99.20 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

99.21 

including  .79  sulphur. 


Lab.  No.  904,  field  No.  1 — 04  is  from  Mills  Lake,  about  half  a mile 
below  the  outlet.  The  lime  as  carbonate  would  be  26.35  and  the 
magnesia  12.86.  The  area  is  about  80  acres,  the  depth  over  30  feet. 

Lab.  No.  905,  field  No.  2 — 05,  from  the  same  place,. the  lime  car- 
bonate 29.39,  and  the  magnesia  14.78. 

Lab.  No.  906,  field  mark  06,  from  hole  No.  11,  on  the  Leinberger 
land,  Frankenlust  township,  Bay  County,  Sec.  2,  T.  13  N.,  R.  4 E. 


264 


MARL. 


The  first  two  clays  are  like  those  analyzed  by  Doolittle,  surface 
clays,  about  40  per  cent  carbonates.  Large  quantities  would  have 
to  be  used  of  them,  the  amount  of  magnesia  would  be  undesirably 
large,  and  it  would  probably  be  difficult  to  keep  a uniform  compo- 
sition. The  next  is  a regular  coal  measure  shale  clay,  and  would 
probably  be  a valuable  paving  brick  clay,  as  well  as  suitable  for 
cement. 

Lab.  No.  897,  field  No.  02,  from  Michigan  Clay  Co.,  Frankenlust 
township,  Bay  County,  in  the  northeast  part.  This  is  a surface  cal- 
careous clay,  properly  called  marl,  the  lime  would  be  20.48  as  car- 
bonate, and  the  magnesia  14.82,  or  over  a third  carbonates,  and  the 
remarks  above  upon  surface  clays  apply. 

Lab.  No.  898,  marked  03,  is  from  the  Williams  Clay  Co.,  just 
north,  and  is  an  entirely  similar  surface  clay,  with  22.91  per  cent 
calcium  carbonate  and  14.30  per  cent  magnesia  carbonate. 

Lab.  No.  887,  marked  01,  is  from  Everett’s  at  Corunna,  and  is  also 
a surface  clay  with  a considerable  amount  of  carbonates,  although 
perhaps  because  it  is  farther  from  the  outcrop  of  the  Eocarbon- 
iferous  Limestones,  decidedly  less,  namely,  11.87  of  calcium  carbon- 
ate and  9.50  of  magnesium  carbonate.  It  is  also  said  to  have  no 
sulphates,  which  is  rather  remarkable!  It  is  probably  derived 
largely  and  not  very  remotely  from  a coal  measure  shale  clay,  like 
the  following  analysis. 

Lab.  No.  870,  also  a Corunna  clay,  but  with  much  less  of  carbon- 
ates, so  much  so,  that  it  can  hardly  be  a surface  clay. 

Both  this  and  the  previous  analyses  are  remarkably  high  in  iron 
and  alumina,  but  Prof.  Campbell  of  the  University  of  Michigan  got 
similar  results  for  clays  of  this  district,  which  are  15  to  20 
feet  thick,  have  little  sand  and  occur  on  high  ground  directly  over 
shale,  to  wit:  about  48  per  cent  silica,  16  of  alumina,  and  5 of 
ferric  oxide.  In  some  cases  of  very  fusible  shale  there  was  as  much 
as  25  per  cent  alumina. 

Lab.  No.  867  is  a clay  from  south  of  Tawas  City,  in  Iosco  County. 
The  form  of  the  analysis  indicates  that  like  the  analyses  of  pp.  40 
and  41,  in  Part  8,  it  is  practically  of  a shale  of  the  Michigan  series. 
The  high  per  cent  of  difference  undetermined  is  probably  sulphates 
(gypsum)  as  well  as  alkalies.  There  is,  however,  some  uncertainty 
about  this  sample. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


265 


Lab.  No.  849  is  from  a boring  one  mile  north  of  Goetz  farm,  Sec. 
36,  Monitor  township,  Bay  County,  T.  14  N.,  B.  4 E.  The  lime  is 
remarkably  low  in  proportion  to  the  magnesia.  There  is  some 
pyrite  (0.79  sulphur)  and  the  large  loss  on  ignition  and  large 
amount  of  alumina  and  iron  are  noteworthy.  It  should  be  readily 
fusible.  This  is  not  at  all  of  the  fire  clay  type. 


CLAY  ANALYSES  BY  L.  AND  S.— CONTINUED. 


Sample  No. 

814 

815 

725 

726 

727 

728 

863 

816 

822 

823 

Silica 

55.06 

47.83 

37.75 

42.71 

61.13 

54.93 

41.38 

39.81 

43.53 

41.00 

Iron  and  al.  ox- 

ide  

30.53 

35.21 

13.13 

14.92 

26.90 

31.43 

27.02 

18.57 

14.71 

17.19 

Calcium  oxide. . 

0.12 

0.14 

17.04 

13.72 

.12 

.22 

.52 

3.74 

12.69 

12.79 

Magnesium  ox- 

ide   

1.47 

1.19 

6.88 

6.36 

6.47 

1.58 

.90 

5.20 

5.65 

5.68 

Loss  on  ign.  (or- 

ganic matter 

and  C02,  etc.) 

7.47 

10.09 

29.20 

22.29 

6.47 

7.41 

23.11 

18.22 

17.89 

18.39 

Difference  ( al- 

kalies, etc. ) . . 

5.35 

5.54 

4.42 

5.43 

7.07 

4.45 

5.53 

4.95 

No.  814,  St.  Charles  shale,  No.  1,  is  a coal  measure  shale  of  the 
fusible  variety. 

No.  815,  St.  Charles  shale,  No.  2,  is  similar  but  even  lower  in 
silica.  The  lime,  it  will  be  noticed,  is  extremely  low. 

No.  725  is  another  surface  clay  with  similarly  high  per  cent  of 
carbonates  (30.46  calcium  carbonate  + 13.07  magnesium  carbonate) 
and  low  silica. 

No.  726  is  a similar  surface  clay;  it  is  from  Sterling,  not  Standish, 
No.  2,  S.  W.  Arenac  County,  not  far  off.  Calcium  as  carbonate  is 
24.56  and  magnesia  12.09. 

No.  727  is  a light  shale  from  the  Bay  County  coal  field. 

No.  728  is  said  to  be  a dark  shale  from  the  same  field.  The  iron 
must  contribute  with  the  organic  matter  to  the  darker  color. 

No.  863  is  a shale  from  the  Goetz  land,  Sec.  36,  Monitor  township, 
a coal  measure  shale.  With  the  low  amount  of  lime  and  magnesia 
characteristic  of  these  shales,  the  large  loss  on  ignition  shows  much 
organic  matter  (black  shale),  and  it  will  be  readily  fusible. 

No.  816  is  from  the  Prairie  farm,  and  I think  the  same  deposit 
as  No.  18  of  Part  I,  though  I cannot  account  for  the  discrepancy 
in  silica.  The  lime  as  carbonate  would  be  24.38  and  the  magnesia 
9.90, — about  the  usual  35  per  cent  carbonates  of  the  surface  clays. 

No.  822  is  a surface  clay  from  Crapo  Lake,  T.  22  N.,  R.  2 E.,  an 
average  of  Section  9. 

34- Pt.  Ill 


266 


MARL. 


No.  823  is  from  the  same  locality,  an  average  of  Section  10. 

The  former  has  about  22.66  per  cent  calcium  carbonate  and  11.65 
magnesium  carbonate,  and  the  latter  has  22.83  per  cent  calcium 
carbonate  and  11.70  magnesium  carbonate,  or  as  usual,  about  one- 
third  carbonates. 


CLAY  ANALYSES  BY  L.  AND  S.— CONTINUED. 


Sample  No. 

643 

(?) 

712 

713 

658 

676 

660 

661 

675 

Silica 

41.54 

41.58 

43.35 

42.95 

44.69 

47.59 

44.40 

39.26 

52.75 

Alumina 

13.15 

9.96 

14.43 

14.98 

9.90 

10.20 

9.54 

13.32 

11.34 

Ferric  oxide  

4 83 

4.20 

4.29 

2.71 

2.71 

4.57 

Calcium  oxide 

13.93 

15.02 

13.58 

143.73 

12.96 

13.75 

14.04 

14.21 

12.68 

Magnesium  oxide 

5.45 

6.36 

5.71 

5.84 

5.98 

5.15 

6.09 

0.94 

4.75 

Loss  on  ignition  (water 

and  organic) 

17.92 

19.03 

17.71 

16.38 

6.09 

18.83 

14.83 

Difference  (alkalies. 

etc.) 

3.18 

3.85 

22.93 

22.50 

4.47 

6.93 

23.22 

8.87 

3.67 

Totals 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

230.00 

99.91 

102.71 

106.09 

100.00 

100.02 

Lab.  No.  643,  clay  3 — B,  is  a surface  Bay  County  clay,  with  24.87 
calcium  carbonate  and  11.39  magnesia  carbonate. 

The  next  sample  is  similar,  but  has  even  more  carbonates, — 26.82 
of  calcium  carbonate  and  13.30  of  magnesia,  over  40  * in  all. 

Lab.  No.  712  is  a clay  from  near  George  Lake,  T 21  N.,  B.  1 E., — 
also  a surface  clay  with  24.25  calcium  carbonate  and  11.96  mag- 
nesium carbonate. 

Lab.  Nos.  658  and  676  are  both  near  Edwards  Lake  in  the  same 
township,  the  former  from  a clay  bed  “directly  at  the  outlet  of  the 
lake  in  Sections  25  and  27, — and  has  been  found  to  cover  a tract 
one  half  mile  square,  and  is  of  good  depth,  though  underlaid  to 
some  extent  with  sand  and  gravel.”  This  has  23.14  calcium  car- 
bonate and  12.54  magnesium  carbonate. 

No.  676  comes  from  a deposit  about  one  mile  east  and  down  the 
outlet  stream,  of  over  40  acres  area  and  over  20  feet  depth.  This 
has  24.57  calcium  carbonate  and  10.80  magnesium  carbonate. 

Lab.  No.  660  comes  from  near  Chapman  Lake,  Sec.  7,  Clement 
township,  Gladwin  County,  T.  20  N.,  R.  1 E., — a bed  “over  40  feet 
thick,  explored  for  over  half  a mile.”  Here  again  we  have  25.07 
calcium  carbonate  and  12.78  magnesium  carbonate. 

Lab.  No.  661  comes  from  Sec.  e,  near  by  and  has  25.97  calcium 
carbonate  and  only  1.92  magnesium  carbonate.  This  is  the  lowest 
in  magnesia  of  any  of  the  surface  clays. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


267 


Lab.  No.  675  is  of  a clay  from  Plummer  Lake,  “in  direct  con- 
junction with  the  marl  at  the  east  end  of  the  lake,  and  runs  down 
under  the  marl  at  the  southern  side.  The  clay  deposit  is  covered 
with  about  three  feet  of  surface  earth  and  is  40  acres  in  extent,” 
averaging  eight  feet  in  depth. 

Taking  the  set  all  together,  we  see  that  these  surface  clays  rarely 
run  less  than  35  per  cent  or  over  45  per  cent  of  carbonates,  but  that 
the  amount  of  magnesia  varies  materially,  though  it  is  usually 
over  a third  of  the  carbonates. 

The  uncertainty  as  to  whether  the  percentages  will  remain  uni- 
form through  a deposit,  and  the  difficulty  in  getting  a satisfactory 
analysis  from  the  resulting  cement,  are  what  make  the  surface 
clays  not,  except  possibly  in  rare  instances,  to  be  recommended  for 
the  making  of  cement.  All  these  clays  will  fuse  readily. 

12.  The  Great  Northern  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  1899,  capital,  $5,000,000,  in  50,000  shares;  there  was 
$2,000,000  preferred  stock  bearing  Tf>  interest,  the  balance  common. 
In  selling  the  preferred,  a bonus  of  one-half  share  of  common  was 
given.  Located  at  the  company’s  village  of  Marlborough,  two  miles 
south  of  Baldwin,  on  the  Pere  Marquette  R.  R.,  Secs.  14  and  15,  T.  17 
N.,  R.  13  W.,  Lake  County.  They  also  own  or  control  about  6,200 
acres  in  the  neighborhood,  about  3,500  of  them  with  bog  lime,  to  wit : 
Sec.  13,  T.  16  N.,  R.  13  W.,  lakes  and  lime;  Sec.  15,  and  most  of  21 
and  10,  T.  17  N.,  R.  12  W.,  also  the  N.  % of  the  N.  E.  %,  Sec.  18,  sur- 
face clay,  especially  on  10,  and  marl;  N.  y2  of  N.  W.  14  of  Sec. 
36;  N.  % of  Sec.  34;  Sec.  27;  Sec.  14;  E.  % of  Sec.  15  and 
part  of  Sec.  10  all  in  T.  17  N.,  R.  13  W.  Also  parts  of  sec- 
tions 23,  26,  27,  34,  35,  T.  18  N.,  R.  13  W. ; Sec.  27  and  parts 
of  26,  34,  35,  T.  19  N.,  R.  13  W.,  all  marl  lands.  There  are  in  all 
some  17  lakes,  generally  with  low  shores,  surrounded  with  a rim 
of  marsh  or  tamarack  growth  underlain  with  marl.  One  of  these 
lakes  is  said  to  have  water  from  one  to  six  feet  deep  with  marl  from 
20  to  58  feet  deep.  In  general  the  deposits  are  18  to  20  feet  deep. 

The  first  unit,  now  nearly  complete,  to  which  one  or  two  more 
may  be  added  later,  has  a capacity  of  4,000  barrels  a day,  with  24 
rotaries. 


268 


MARL . 


The  following  is  Booth,  Garrett  & Blair’s  report: 

Great  Northern  Portland  Cement  Co., 

82  and  84  Griswold  street,  Detroit,  Michigan. 

Gentlemen : — 

Following  your  visit  to  this  city  in  September,  we  received  in 
due  course  your  letter  of  instructions  to  make  a thorough  investi- 
gation of  your  cement  property  in  Lake  County,  Michigan,  and 
agreeably  therewith,  our  Mr.  Whitfield  made  an  extended  examina- 
tion of  the  property,  taking  a large  number  of  samples,  gauging  and 
locating  the  deposits  and  establishing  their  quantity  and  acces- 
sibility. Since  his  return,  we  have  made  analyses  of  the  samples 
selected,  and  have  burned  three  lots  of  cement  from  suitable 
mixtures  of  these  samples  and  subjected  these  cements  to  analyses 
and  to  numerous  physical  tests.  All  this  data  is  now  in  your  hands 
in  a series  of  preliminary  reports. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  render  final  report  on  the  broad  project 
which  you  have  in  view,  to  wit:  the  construction  of  a modern  plant 
of  large  capacity  for  the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement,  near 
Baldwin,  and  this  report  follows: 

Raw  materials. — Regardless  of  large  tracts  of  land  which  you 
have  since  purchased,  we  find  that  the  property  examined  by  Mr. 
Whitfield  contains  deposits  of  raw  materials  suitable  for  high  grade 
Portland  cement,  and  in  sufficient  quantity  to  supply  a large  plant 
for  many  years.  These  raw  materials  are  white  shell  marl  and 
blue  clay. 

The  clay  “D,”  used  by  us  so  successfully  in  making  cements,  is 
found  in  immense  quantities  on  Sec.  10,  T.  17  N.,  R.  12  W.  This 
locality  is  shown  in  relation  to  the  marl  tracts  in  the  map  attached 
to  this  report. 

Cement. — An  expression  of  opinion  on  the  quality  of  raw  mater- 
ials for  cement  may  in  some  cases  be  quite  sufficient,  but  will  never 
be  so  convincing  to  practical  minds  as  an  actual  test.  For  this 
reason  we  have  burned  from  your  raw  materials  three  successive 
lots  of  clinker  with  increasing  percentages  of  lime,  and  have  tested 
the  cements  with  results  as  follows: 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


269 


Samples. 

No.  1. 

No.  2. 

No.  3. 

64% 

660  lbs. 
614  “ 
670  “ 
636  “ 
628  “ 

65% 

710  lbs. 
790  “ 
672  “ 
820  “ 
890  “ 

66% 

930  lbs. 
974  “ 
924  “ 
952  “ 
946  “ 

7 day  tests  of  neat  briquettes 

Average 

641  lbs. 

776  lbs. 

945  lbs. 

7 day  tests  1 cement  to  3 sand 

265  lbs. 
282  “ 
270  “ 
262  “ 
250  “ 

396  lbs. 
370  “ 
370 

410  “ 
350  “ 

460  lbs. 
424  “ 
432  “ 
448  “ 
420  “ 

Average 

266  lbs. 

379  lbs. 

437  lbs. 

Samples. 

No.  1. 

No.  2. 

No.  3. 

Nominal  lime  content 

64% 
3 03 
1 °50' 
3°40' 

65% 
3.04 
2°  10' 
4°  40' 

66% 

3.08 

1°25' 

4°0' 

Specific  gravity 

Initial  set 

Final  set 

ANALYSIS. 


Silica 

Alumina 

Iron  oxide  — 

Lime 

Magnesia ». 


24.01% 

24.84% 

23.87% 

5.51  % 

4.51% 

4.82% 

2.38% 

1.74% 

2.30% 

63.91% 

65.69% 

66.01% 

3.40% 

3.10% 

3.03% 

28  day  tests  were  made  from  lot  No.  1 with  results  as  follows: 


Neat. 

1 cement 
to  3 sand. 

28  day  tests,  sample  No.  1 

952  lbs. 
918  “ 

470  lbs. 
450  “ 

980  “ 

486 

Average 

950  lbs. 

469  lbs. 

Very  truly  yours, 

BOOTH,  GARRETT  & BLAIR. 


The  clay  bank  in  Sec.  10,  T.  17  N.,  R.  12  W.,  covers  some  400 
acres.  From  the  amount  of  magnesia  in  the  finished  cement,  it 
would  seem  that  there  is  as  usual,  some  six  or  seven  per  cent  of 
magnesia  in  the  clay,  though  I have  seen  no  series  of  analyses  of 
it.  This  rises  as  a hill  of  clay,  a bit  of  glacial  deposit,  some  90 


270 


MARL. 


to  150  feet  high,  in  the  midst  of  prevailing  sand  and  gravel.  It  is 
said  to  be  free  from  grit.  Gravel  for  concrete  was  found  in  the 
excavations  for  the  plant. 

In  the  beginning,  the  lime  of  North  Lake,  right  by  the  mill,  will 
be  used,  and  the  clay  shoveled  by  steam  shovel  and  transported 
in  special  cars,  and  the  marl  in  scows. 

Prof.  R.  C.  Carpenter  reports  in  part,  as  follows: 

“I  find  that  the  marl  exists  as  is  represented,  and  is  found  in  a 
great  number  of  lakes  and  surrounding  marshes,  occurring  to  a 
depth  varying  from  20  to  70  fee.t.  The  marl  in  every  case  is  of 
excellent  quality  and  free  from  any  material  which  would  inter- 
fere in  the  manufacture  of  cement.  The  clay  deposit  is  located  a 
short  distance  from  the  center  of  the  marl  deposits  and  the  site  of 
the  wrorks.  The  clay  has  been  thoroughly  tested  by  reputable 
chemists,  and  is  found  to  possess  all  desirable  qualities  required, 
both  as  shown  by  analysis  and  by  actual  trial  in  the  manufacture  of 
cement.  The  clay  deposit  is  of  almost  unlimited  magnitude  and 
would  supply  the  plant  for  more  than  a century,  even  when  work- 
ing on  a scale  of  12,000  barrels  per  day.  The  examinations  of  the 
deposit  have  convinced  me  that  the  materials  are  all  that  has  been 
claimed,  both  as  to  quality  and  quantity.” 

13.  Detroit  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  March  7,  1900.  Capital,  $1,000,000. 

From  the  Fenton  Independent  of  March  31,  1900,  comes  the  fol- 
lowing item  (see  Plate  XXI  and  Fig.  23)  : 

Deals  for  marl  land  on  which  the  Becker  Bros,  hold  options  in 
Fenton  township  are  being  closed  up.  The  lands  embrace  the  marl 
on  110  acres  of  the  McKugh  farm  at  Mud  and  Silver  Lakes,  and  the 
marl  on  74  acres  on  the  Beals  farm  at  Silver  Lake,  and  the  marl  on 
89  acres  on  the  Latourette  farm  on  Mud  Lake.  Only  the  marl  rights 
are  purchased,  the  price  paid  Beals  being  $2,500,  and  the  price  paid 
Latourette  being  $800.  The  marl  rights  to  30  acres  of  the  Tunison 
farm  at  Silver  Lake  were  purchased  for  $900. 

This  factory  is  built  on  the  line  of  the  Grand  Trunk.  It  is 
to  be  an  eight  rotary  plant,  with  provision  for  enlargement  (com- 
pare Plate  Y).  The  plant  is  designed  by  Lathbury  & Spackman,  and 
illustrated  in  their  work,  “Engineering  Practice,”  already  referred 
to  so  often.  Their  description  is  as  follows : 

The  plant  of  this  company,  located  at  Fenton,  Michigan,  is  now 
nearing  completion.  The  mill  is  designed  to  manufacture  Portland 
cement  from  a mixture  of  marl  and  clay  by  the  wet  process,  and 
possesses  some  distinctive  features  not  embodied  in  the  marl 
plants  heretofore  erected. 

The  buildings  substantially  constructed  of  brick  and  steel,  are 
fire-proof,  and  so  designed  that  the  material  in  process  of  manu- 
facture will  move  in  one  direction  from  the  time  the  raw  materials 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


271 


are  brought  in  at  one  end,  until  the  cement  is  shipped  out  from  the 
packing  house  at  the  farther  end.  All  the  buildings  have  clear 
spans.  The  mill  is  located  on  a slight  elevation  overlooking  the 
large  marl  deposits  of  Mud  and  Silver  Lakes,  owned  by  the  com- 
pany. The  clay  is  obtained  from  pits  a few  miles  distant  from  the 
plant.  The  marl  is  dredged  from  the  lakes  and  loaded  into  cars  of 
two  cubic  yards  capacity  which  run  on  a track  along  the  edge  of 
the  laks.  The  cars  are  then  drawn  by  cable  hoist  up  an  inclined 
trestle  into  the  mill  and  dumped  into  the  hopper  over  the  stone  sep- 
arator. The  clay  is  brought  into  the  plant  by  rail.  The  two  ingre- 
dients after  passing  through  separate  preliminary  preparation  are 
mixed  together  in  the  proper  proportions  and  ground  in  tube  mills. 
Large  concrete  storage  pits  contain  the  marl  and  clay  before  mix- 
ing, and  similar  pits  are  provided  for  the  mix  and  ground  slurry. 
It  has  heretofore  been  the  practice  to  pass  the  clay  through  some 
suitable  dryer,  then  after  it  has  been  ground  to  an  impalpable  pow- 
der, to  mix  this  powdered  clay  with  the  marl.  In  this  plant,  how- 
ever, the  clay  is  unloaded  directly  from  the  cars  into  a disintegrator, 
from  which  it  discharges  into  a pugging  conveyor  which  carries  it 
to  a wash  mill,  where  it  is  reduced  to  a thin  sludge. 

The  marl  passes,  first,  through  a stone  separator  which  reduces 
it  to  a smooth  plastic  state  and  removes  any  roots,  grass  or  stones 
which  may  have  been  brought  up  by  the  dredge  bucket.  It  is  then 
stored  in  the  marl  pits.  Each  pit  is  provided  with  an  agitator  to 
prevent  settling.  The  marl  and  clay  are  pumped  to  the  mixing  pits 
in  proper  proportions  and  thoroughly  agitated.  From  these  pits 
the  raw  mix  is  pumped  to  iron  tanks  above  the  tube  mills,  from 
which  it  is  fed  to  the  mills  by  gravity.  After  being  ground  in  the 
tube  mills,  the  slurry  is  discharged  into  concrete  storage  pits  which 
supply  the  kilns,  the  slurry  being  pumped  to  a stand  pipe  from 
which  it  is  fed  at  a constant  pressure  directly  into  the  kilns.  After 
passing  through  the  kilns,  of  which  there  are  eight,  the  clinker  falls 
into  air-tight,  self-emptying  concrete  cooling  vaults,  located  below 
the  kiln  room  floor  and  directly  under  the  discharge  from  the 
kilns,  two  vaults  being  provided  for  each  kiln;  the  Lathbury  & 
Spackman  patent  regenerative  clinker  cooling  apparatus  being 
used.  Cold  air  is  drawn  in  through  openings  in  the  bottom  of 
these  vaults,  and  passing  upward  through  the  clinker  cools  it. 
The  hot  air  being  exhausted  from  the  top  is  forced  into  kilns  mixed 
with  pulverized  coal,  thus  utilizing  the  heat  contained  in  the  clinker 
for  burning.  The  clinker  is  drawn  out  at  the  bottom  of  the  vaults 
into  Cars  which  run  on  tracks  located  in  the  tunnel  below  the 
clinker  cooling  vaults.  These  cars  are  run  out  of  the  tunnels  and 
raised  by  an  electric  lift  to  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  bins  feeding  the 
clinker  ball  mills,  and  the  clinker  is  discharged  from  the  cars  into 
these  bins.  After  passing  through  the  ball  mills,  the  partially  ground 
clinker  is  elevated  and  conveyed  to  the  bins  supplying  the  tube 
mills.  From  these  mills  it  is  elevated  and  conveyed  to  the  stock 
house  and  distributed  in  the  bins.  The  stock  house  is  equipped 
with  Lathbury  & Spackman  self-discharging  bins,  described  else- 
where in  detail. 


272 


MAUL. 


Conveyors  in  the  tunnels  of  the  stock  house  carry  the  cement  to 
the  packing  room,  located  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  building,  and 
deliver  it  to  the  bins  over  the  packing  machine.  The  packing 
department,  fully  equipped  with  both  barrel  and  bag  packing 
machinery,  has  a capacity  of  1,500  barrels  of  cement  per  day. 

The  power  house,  located  close  to  the  main  building,  is  equipped 
with  four  200-horse  power  vertical  water  tube  boilers.  Two  500 
horse  power  compound  condensing  engines,  direct  connected  to 
two  300  K.  W.  direct  current  generators  are  located  in  the  engine 
room.  An  auxiliary  150  K.  W.  direct  connected  dynamo  and  engine 
is  provided  to  furnish  current  for  lighting  and  power  when  the 
plant  is  operating  under  light  loads.  The  power  plant  is  completely 
equipped  with  the  usual  accessories,  such  as  switchboards,  pumps, 
condensers,  etc.,  and  special  attention  has  been  paid  to  securing 
economy  in  the  generating  of  power.  The  entire  plant  is  electric- 
ally driven,  the  motors  being  distributed  throughout  the  plant, 
each  machine  being  belted  direct  to  its  own  motor. 


ANALYSIS  OF  THE  CLAY  AND  THE  MARL. 


Marl. 

Clay. 

Silica,  SiCL 

.96 

54.70 
18  80 

Alumina,  ALO3 

\ -44 

52.43 

Iron,  Fe20:} .". 

Lime,  CaO 

7.17 

Magnesia,  MgO , 

1.66 

3.87 

Carbon  Ioxide  CO-> 

42.99 

1.52 

9.80 

.96 

Difference 

Total 

100.00 

100.00 

14.  Egyptian  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  June  30,  1900.  Capital,  $1, 050, 000,  in  $10  shares. 
Also  bonds,  $350,000.  The  officers  are,  George  A.  Foster,  president ; 
J.  Fletcher  Williams,  vice  president  and  general  manager;  C.  B. 
Shotwell,  secretary,  and  E.  D.  Kennedy,  treasurer. 

The  factories  are  at  Fenton  and  Holly.  Robert  W.  Hunt  & Co., 
are  engineers  and  W.  H.  Hess,  chemist. 

We  reprint  many  of  the  careful  surveys  which  were  made  of  the 
company’s  lime  lakes.  One  (Plate  XXI)  is  of  Silver  Lake,  the  Fen- 
ton property,  and  another,  (Fig.  21)  is  Raffelee  Lake,  the  Holly 
property  of  the  same  company. 

In  Plate  XXI  the  bluffs  which  mark  the  original  margin  of  the 
lake  are  shown  as  in  Fig.  13,  and  if  we  compare  the  outline  of  the 
lake  with  that  shown  in  the  county  atlases  from  the  original  land 
office  surveys,  we  find  it  entirely  different.  Apparently  a good  deal 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


273 


of  this  is  due  to  the  filling*  up  of  the  lake  by  the  deposits  of  boglime, 
isolating  “daughter  lakes,”  as  Davis  has  described  them,  from 
Littlefield  Lake.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  a change  of  lake  level 


-*DF<s~ 


MAflL  LA/VJJ 

As  Sun/eyeMSanykc) 


Robert  W Hun  t&  Co 


CB/cayo 

/m 


JcaZe.  '/cn 


/ty>rov*B 


may  also  have  been  an  important  factor.  Finally,  but  not  least 
important,  the  surveyors  in  meandering  these  marsh  bordered 
lakes,  which  are  often  full  of  rushes,  find  it  very  difficult  to  deter- 
mine where  marsh  ends  and  lake  begins.  We  also  reproduce  reduc- 
35-Pt.  Ill 


274 


MARL. 


tions  of  careful  surveys  of  Runyan  Lake,  Sections  9 and  10,  T.  4 N., 
R.  6 E.  (Fig.  22),  and  of  Mud  Lake,  just  north  of  Silver  (Fig.  23). 

Also  of  lakes  on  sections  27,  28  and  30  and  29  of  Holly  township 
(Figs.  24  and  25). 


There  is  peat  in  connection  with  these  deposits  “partially  over- 
lying  and  directly  contiguous,  which  it  has  been  proposed  to  use  as 
fuel,  though  it  is  not  at  present  seriously  planned.  The  coal  and 
very  probably  the  shale  will  come  from  the  neighborhood  of  Cor- 
unna. The  Grand  Trunk  and  the  Pere  Marquette  system  cross  at 
Holly. 

A resurvey  after  some  years,  of  such  of  these  properties  as  may 
not  have  been  seriously  touched,  will  give  important  light  on  the 
growth  of  the  deposits.  Extracts  from  the  prospectus,  Robert  W. 
Hunt  & Co.’s  report,  are  as  follows: 

Report  dated  Jan.  30,  1900. 

We  beg  to  submit  the  following  report  in  full  on  the  survey  and 
investigation  of  the  marl  lands  situated  near  the  cities  of  Fenton 
and  Holly,  Michigan. 


io 


B orsnfs /or-AlCi  lyiii 

Fig.  22.  Runyan  Lake.  T.  4 N.,  R.  6 E.,  near  Fenton. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


275 


The  marl  land  surveyed  and  sampled  consisted  of  four  separate 
deposits.  The  first  and  largest,  is  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Gene- 
see County,  two  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Fenton,  and  extends 
south  into  the  northern  part  of  Livingston  county  (Plate  XXI). 

The  second  is  in  Oakland  County,  two  miles  east  of  Fenton,  and 
about  midway  between  Fenton  and  Holly. 


The  third  deposit  is  in  and  north  of  the  town  of  Holly. 

The  fourth  deposit  is  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Holly  on 
Raffelee  Lake  (Fig.  21). 

The  first  tract  consists  of  Runyan  Lake  (Fig.  22),  Marl  Lake, 
Upper  and  Lower  Silver  Lake,  a part  of  Mud  Lake  (Fig.  23),  Squaw 
Lake,  and  the  low  swamp  land  contiguous  to  these  lakes,  together 
with  a strip  of  land  in  the  town  of  Fenton.  As  a rule  the  hills  sur- 
rounding these  lakes  are  high  and  steep,  and  the  slope  of  the  marl 


276 


MARL . 


deposit  is  quite  abrupt,  which  latter  is  also  true  of  the  lake  bottoms. 
Many  bars  of  marl,  covered  with  only  a few  inches  of  water,  extend 
into  the  lakes,  but  just  off  these  bars  the  water  is  deep. 

The  second  tract  (Fig.  24)  consists  of  marsh  land  around  Warren 
Lake  and  several  small  ponds  near  by,  Dickson  Lake  and  the  two 
Mineral  Lakes.  The  hills  around  these  are  also  high  and  steep  and 
the  shores  are  abrupt. 


Fig.  24.  Warren,  Dickson,  Mineral  and  adjacent  lakes  and  marl  beds. 
Sections  29  and  30,  T.  5 N.,  R.  7 E. 


The  third  tract  (Fig.  25)  is  in  and  around  Bevin  Lake  and  Bush 
Lake.  There  are  no  hills  around  these  lakes,  and  the  marl  deposit  is 
shelving,  and  the  shores  are  not  abrupt.  A large  part  of  Bush  Lake 
is  only  a few  feet  deep.  There  is  no  tamarack  or  underbrush. 

The  fourth  tract  is  along  the  south  edge  and  west  end  of  Raffelee 
Lake,  including  the  swamp  lands  just  west  and  northwest  of  Raffe- 
lee. Part  of  this  swamp  land  is  heavily  timbered,  and  the  average 
stripping  is  about  two  feet. 

The  first  tract  is  cut  by  three  highways  and  the  Detroit,  Grand 
Haven  & Milwaukee  railroad  track,  together  with  the  public  road 
which  lies  between  Silver  and  Mud  Lakes.  Another  road  is  just 
south  of  Silver  Lake,  and  still  another  south  of  Marl  Lake. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  ANI)  MILLS. 


277 


There  are  no  public  highways  crossing  the  second  tract,  but  the 
main  highway  between  Fenton  and  Holly  runs  very  close  to  it. 

Between  Bevin  and  Bush  Lakes  are  the  tracks  of  the  Pere  Mar- 
quette railroad,  a public  highway  and  some  meadow  land. 

The  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  & Milwaukee  railway  runs  alongside 
of  Baffelee  Lake.  There  are  no  highways  crossing  this  tract,  but 
it  will  probably  be  easy  to  secure  one  on  the  section  line. 


The  maps  which  we  send  you  will  show  the  location  of  these 
different  tracts.  There  are  eight  detail  maps,  which  show  all  lands 
surveyed  and  sampled,  except  where  the  results  were  not  good 
enough  to  justify  mapping  the  properties  out.  These  maps  show 
location  of  property,  name  of  original  owner,  and  location  of  test 
holes  from  which  marl  samples  were  taken.  The  numbering  of 
these  test  holes  is  the  same  as  the  sample  numbers  in  the  com- 
plete analysis. 

In  determining  the  extent  of  the  deposits,  about  four  hundred 
additional  test  holes  were  sunk,  from  which  no  samples  were  taken. 


278 


MARL. 


The  following  statement  shows  total  acreage: 


Examined. 

Tract  No.  1 
Tract  No.  2 
Tract  No.  3 
Tract  No.  4 


1569.7  acres 

Considering  the  results  obtained  from  the  chemical  analysis  of 
the  marl,  lots  or  deposits  of  marl  have  been  located  wherein  the 
marl,  as  shown  by  the  analysis,  is  of  such  composition  as  is  re- 
quired to  make  good  cement. 

The  total  amount  of  marl  in  the  foregoing  lots,  upon  which  we 
report  favorably,  is  14,350,720  cubic  yards,  which  is  enough  to 
manufacture  about  28,700,000  barrels  of  cement. 

The  following  tables  show  the  maximum,  minimum,  and  average 
determination  of  the  samples  from  the  accepted  lots,  together  with 
the  average  depth  of  marl,  quantity  of  stripping,  and  quantity  of 
marl  in  each  lot. 


Sampled  and  Mapped. 

976.0  acres 

190.6  acres 

163.6  acres 
239.5  acres 


j LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS.  279 


Lot  11. 

84.51 
J 92.86 

1 78.21 

3.60 
j 4.54 

1 3.18 

1.035 

j 1.51 

) .70 

2.014 
j 3.02 

1 .70 

20. 

54.710 
812,  300 

Lot  20. 

89.82 
j 92.18 

1 86.63 

3.23 
j 3.99 

1 2.56 

1.57 
j 3.12 

1 .58 

1.60 
j 3.04 

1 .28 

15. 

51,000 
588. 220 

Lot  10. 

lO  CO  • <J>  o o 

TfiOiT*  ^ o to  to  SO  O Cl 

CCCH  <M  ^ iC  * CO  (MJ>i>CCC0<0 

^coi^  CO^Oi  • CO  ^^H*^COOi 

05  Oi  CX)  OJ  CO 

Lot  19. 

89.586 
j 92.99 

1 84.40 

3.038 
j 3.85 

) 2.07 

.93 

5 1.86 

\ .04 

0.88 
j 2.06 

) .22 

27. 

330. 000 
4, 513.  250 

Lot  9. 

88.57 
j 92.86 

j 83.57 

3.276 
J 3.69 

1 2.82 

1.22 
j 1.44 

1 1.04 

2.926 
) 5.44 

i 1.28 

16.4 
None. 

511,200 

Lot  18. 

85.342 
J 88.09 

1 82.34 

3.765 
j 4.34 

) 3.25 

.860 
j 1.5(1 

1 .40 

1.924 
j 2.44 

1 1.08 

12.5 
None 
325, 460 

00 

o 

J 

87.57 
J 90.71 

| 80.89 

3.84 
j 4.27 

j 3.57 

.92 

J 2.00 

| .54 

1.411 
j 2.54 

1 .84 

11.8 
61 ,38) 
533, 300 

Lot  17. 

84.686 
5 85.47 

l 83.24 

3.546 
j 4.22 

) 3.14 

1.992 
J 3.84 

1 .54 

2.44 
j 3.22 

| 1.18 

11.8 

4,360 
285,  830 

Lot  7. 

89.633 
j 92.1 
j 86.61 

3.902 
j 4.35 

) 2.70 

1.049 
J 2.72 

1 .56 

.966 
j 1.92 

1 .64 

13. 

7.  600 
1,280,  340 

Lot  16. 

85.266 
j 87.00 

1 82.43 

3.440 
j 3.90 

1 3.64 

2.57 
j 4.54 

1 .84 

1.695 
) 2.38 

1 1.01 

11. 

32, 750 
105,  930 

Lot  6. 

87.92 
J 92.86 

| 83.75 

3.16 
j 3.48 

j 2.66 

.828 
j 1.18 

| ' .58 

1.415 
j 1.96 

1 .72 

23.4 

4,000 
880,  420 

Lot  15. 

O CO  '£>  O O 

• ?ocoo  t-  co  os  m 

• i>  ooin  o-^eo  a'tinwooic 

• OS  50  5Q  TP  ~ -s’  ' -H  * 00  eo  to 

; 00  00  ^ t- 

Lot  5. 

90.31 
( 94.64 

| 85.89 

3.072 

j{ 

.765 
j 1.46 

1 .30 

.959 
j 2.82 

1 .48 

16.9  ft. 

77,  280 
849, 600 

Lot  14. 

83.976 
( 88.14 

) 79.48 

2.676 
\ 3.56 

1 1.66 

1.446 
j 2.30 

1 1.00 

1.29 
j 1.59 

| 1.04 

17. 

32,  980 
195,  060 

Lot  3. 

89.03 
j 95.00 

1 85.71 

34.303 
j 3.74 

1 2.82 

1.008 
j 1.24 

1 .82 

.994 
J 1.62 

1 .40 

13.6  ft. 

70,  340 
183. 780 

Lot  13. 

86.54 
) 88.13 

| 85.20 

3.39 
j 3.82 

( 3.02 

1.38 
( 2.48 

\ .90 

1.760 
j 2.94 

1 .98 

11.8 
47,  780 
225,  500 

Lot  1. 

89.717 
j 92.19 

| 85.19 

3.408 
5 4.76 

1 1.97 

.895 
< 3.66 

1 2.24 

.708 

) 1.20 

1 .24 

22  6 ft. 
153, 920 
1,879, 260 

Lot  12. 

88.48 
J 90.71 

1 86.79 

3.13 
j 3.63 

| 2.24 

.57 

1 .78 

< 16 

1 000 
j 1.54 

1 .68 

15. 

75, 000 
365, 100 

Calcium  carbonate. 

Average 

Range 

Magnesium  carbonate. 

Average 

Range 

Iron  and  Alumina. 

Average 

Range 

Silica. 

Average 

Range 

Average  depth  feet 

Stripping  cu.  yds 

Lime  cu.  yds 

Calcium  carbonate. 

Average 

Range 

Magnesium  carbonate. 

Average 

Range 

Iron  and  Alumina. 

Average 

Range 

Silica. 

Average 

Range ’.... 

Average  depth 

Stripping  cu.  yds 

Lime  cu.  yds 

Total  stripping  cu.  yards,  999,290.  Total  lime  cu.  yards,  14,350,720. 


280 


MABL. 


The  best  locations  for  cement  plants  are  upon  the  Grand  Trunk 
railway,  between  Silver  and  Mud  Lakes  at  Fenton,  and  upon  the 
same  road  at  Raffelee  Lake,  just  east  of  Holly.  At  the  latter  point 
the  Pere  Marquette  system  would  doubtless  be  glad  to  build  a 
switch  into  the  plant,  giving  it  the  benefit  of  junction  point  rates, 
which  could  probably  be  extended  to  include  the  Fenton  plant  as 
well. 

From  the  chemical  analysis  of  marl,  its  desirability  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  cement  is  determined.  The  analysis  also  gives  data  for 
determining  the  amount  of  clay  that  should  be  mixed  in  order  to 
give  good  results.  A large  percentage  of  silica  is  not  desirable, 
but  four  to  five  per  cent  is  not  prohibitive,  providing  it  does  not 
vary  to  too  great  an  extent.  The  amount  of  iron  and  alumina  oxide 
that  is  detrimental  depends  upon  the  analysis  of  clay  with  which 
the  marl  is  to  be  mixed.  The  magnesium  carbonate  should  not  be 
over  four  to  five  per  cent,  which,  of  course,  will  be  reduced  in  the 
finished  cement  between  two  and  three  per  cent. 

If  the  amounts  of  silica,  iron  and  alumina,  and  magnesia  in  a 
body  of  marl  are  small,  a comparatively  large  variation  in  the 
calcium  carbonate  can  be  allowed,  because  its  percentage  will  vary 
almost  directly  as  the  amount  of  organic  matter. 

We  would  respectfully  recommend  that  all  material  possible  be 
conveyed  by  mechanical  means,  and  that  the  labor  account  be 
reduced  as  low  as  possible. 

(Signed)  ROBT.  W.  HUNT  & CO. 


Lansing,  October  1,  1900. 

Egyptian  Portland  Cement  Company, 

Detroit,  Michigan. 

Gentlemen — I beg  leave  to  make  the  following  report  of  tests 
of  cement  made  from  clay  and  marl  received  from  you  from  Fenton, 
Michigan : 

FINENESS. 


Passing  No.  50  mesh  sieve 100$ 

Passing  No.  100  mesh  sieve 98 

SETTING  TIME  OF  NEAT  CEMENT. 

Initial  set 2 hrs.  10  min. 

Final  set 4 hrs.  40  min. 


CONSTANCY  OF  VOLUME  TESTS. 


Cold  water  pats . . . 
Boiling  water  pats 


Sound  and  hard. 
Sound  and  hard. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


281 


TENSILE  TESTS  OF  STANDARD  NEAT  BRIQUETTES. 


(1  square  inch  section.) 


Serial  No. 

Hardening  Period. 

Neat  Briquettes. 

Sand  Briquettes,  1:3. 

In 

Air. 

In 

W ater. 

Total 

Days. 

Strength 
in  lbs. 

Strength 
in  lbs. 

1165 

1 

0 

1 

270 

50 

1165 

1 

1 

2 

440 

82 

1165 

1 

2 

3 

545 

135 

1165 

1 

3 

4 

610 

168 

1165 

1 

4 

5 

680 

190 

1165 

1 

5 

6 

755 

212 

1165 

1 

6 

7 

815 

246 

Government  Standard. . 

1 

400 

160 

Very  respectfully, 

(Signed)  R.  E.  DOOLITTLE, 

Chemist. 

Lansing,  Michigan,  Oct.  1,  1900. 

Egyptian  Portland  Cement  Company, 

Detroit,  Michigan. 

Gentlemen — I have  been  investigating  the  peat  question,  and 
submit  for  your  information  the  following  table: 


Carbon. 

Hydrogen. 

Oxygen. 

Calorific  or 
heat  unit 
value. 

Capacity  of  high 
heat,  or  calorific  in- 
tensity Centigrade. 

Wood 

50.18 

6.08 

43.74 

4212 

2380° 

Peat 

61.53 

5.64 

32.82 

5654 

2547° 

Lignite  coal 

67.86 

5.75 

23.39 

6569 

2628° 

Bituminous  coal 

79.38 

5.34 

13.01 

7544 

2694° 

Charcoal. 

90.44 

2.91 

6.63 

8003 

2760° 

Anthracite 

91/86 

3.33 

3.02 

8337 

2779° 

Coke 

97.34 

0.49 

8009 

2761° 

In  examining  this  table,  note  the  column  designated  “Calorific 
Intensity,”  and  notice  you  can  get  as  high  heat  with  peat  as  you 
can  with  bituminous  coal,  lacking  150  degrees  Centigrade,  and  the 
conclusion  is  therefore  warranted  that  you  can  burn  Portland 
cement  with  dried  peat  as  rotary  fuel.  It  would  not  cost  over 
twenty  cents  per  ton  to  prepare  peat  for  rotary  work,  using  waste 
heat  as  a drier.  The  grinding  would  be  very  easy. 

Yours  truly, 

(Signed)  W.  H.  HESS, 

Chemist. 


Twentieth  Century  Portland  Cement  Company. 

Organized  March  2,  1901.  Capital,  $750,000.00.  Office  at  Fenton 
and  plant  about  four  miles  from  the  village,  and  stock  said  to  be 
36-Pt.  Ill 


282 


MARL. 


mainly  held  there.  It  is  said  that  marl  options  are  held  on  Runyan 
Lake,  mainly  in  Sec.  9 (see  Fig.  23),  and  elsewhere,  amounting  to 
526  acres,  and  9,500,000  cubic  yards.  This  is  not  a very  large  supply 
and  so  far  as  I know,  this  and  the  following  companies  and  loca- 
tions referred  to  are  not  very  near  production. 

Zenith  Portland  Cement  Company. 

Organized  July  17,  1900.  Capital  $700,000.  Bonds  $300,000.  The 
board  of  directors  were  Marshall  H.  Godfrey,  B.  H.  Rothwell,  G. 
Johnston,  E.  T.  Allen,  Stowe,  Fuller  & Co.,  R.  H.  Evans,  E.  J. 
Foster. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  reports  of  engineers: 

Extract  from  prospectus  of  the  Zenith  Portland  Cement  Co.: 

I have  spent  six  months  in  Michigan  in  the  examination  of  marl 
deposits,  and  have  no  hesitancy  in  stating  that  the  Grass  and 
Tims  Lake  deposits  are  far  superior,  both  in  quality  and  quantity, 
to  any  deposit  I have  examined.  I estimate  that  there  is  enough 
marl  in  this  deposit  to  make  30,000,000  barrels  of  high  grade  Port- 
land cement,  or  enough  to  supply  a factory  of  1,000  barrels  per  day 
for  over  100  years. 

The  banks  of  this  phenomenal  deposit  are  adjacent  to  the  M.  C. 
R.  R.,  and  well  adapted  by  nature  for  a solid  foundation  and  favor- 
able location  of  the  plant.  Close  at  hand  is  found  a very  fine 
deposit  of  clay,  which  was  originally  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
brick,  but  will  now  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  cement. 

Having  both  of  these  raw  materials  so  close  at  hand,  a high 
grade  cement  can  be  made  here  cheaper  than  any  other  place  I 
know  of. 

T.  C.  BEEBE,  C.  E. 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  July  23,  1900. 
The  Zenith  Portland  Cement  Co., 

Detroit,  Michigan. 

Gentlemen — In  answer  to  your  letter  of  inquiry  in  regard  to  the 
marl  bed  at  Grass  Lake,  Michigan,  I would  say  that  I have  twice 
made  an  examination  of  this  bed,  and  have  had  thorough  analysis 
made  from  different  sections.  I have  been  over  most  of  the  marl 
beds  in  Michigan,  and  consider  the  Grass  Lake  bed  equal  in  quan- 
tity of  any  in  the  State.  As  to  chemical  analysis,  it  runs  about  the 
same  as  the  Brownson  and  Coldwater  beds,  but  has  the  advantage 
of  being  much  finer  in  texture.  Ninety-eight  per  cent  of  this  marl 
in  its  natural  state  will  pass  20,000  mesh  sieve,  leaving  only  a very 
small  residue,  which  is  mostly  organic  matter,  and  will  burn  out  in 
the  rotaries.  This  fineness  would  save  considerable  wet  grinding 
machinery.  This  marl  is  finer  in  its  texture  naturally,  than  any 
marl  I know  of  now  being  used,  even  after  grinding.  This  would 
insure  a very  fine  mixture,  and  the  very  highest  grade  of  Portland 
cement,  as  fineness  of  mix  is  one  of  the  most  important  items  in 
the  manufacture.  The  marl  bed  itself  is  nearer  the  railroad  than 
any  I know  of  in  the  State.  It  needs  no  stripping,  which  will  save 
much  expense  in  handling.  A factory  can  be  located  at  this  point 


LSIT  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


283 


to  handle  material  both  to  and  from  the  factory,  of  fine  grade  and 
cheaper  than  any  place  in  this  country. 

Yours  very  truly, 

C.  B.  STOWE. 

The  analysis  of  the  Grass  Lake  clay  is  entirely  satisfactory  and 
the  quantity  is  abundant. 

Our  marl  has  been  repeatedly  and  carefully  analyzed,  and  follow- 
ing results  were  universally  obtained: 


Silica  (Si02) 1.22 

Iron  and  aluminum  (Fe203+Al203) 61 

Carbonate  of  lime  (CaC03) *. 95.13 

Magnesium  carbonate  (MgCOs) 2.04 

Sulphuric  acid 26 

Organic  and  water,  etc .74 


100.00 

It  has  a residue  of  less  than  two  per  cent  on  a sieve  of  40,000 
meshes  to  the  square  inch,  thereby  saving  considerable  expense 
in  grinding  the  raw  material;  and  as  there  is  no  muck  or  organic 
matter  overlaying  it,  it  can  be  qxcavated  and  conveyed  to  the  works 
at  a minimum  cost. 

The  company’s  property  virtually  includes  all  of  both  Grass  and 
Tims  Lake,  on  which  the  original  owners  guarantee  an  average 
depth  of  20  feet  of  marl  on  400  acres.  On  this  basis  Grass  Lake 
alone  contains  enough  marl  to  supply  a factory  of  1,000  barrels  per 
day  capacity  for  75  years,  and  Tims  Lake  enough  more  to  supply  the 
same  demand  37  years.  This  marl  requires  no  stripping.  There  is 
ample  water  to  float  our  dredges,  on  each  of  which  will  be  placed 
a pug  mill. 

The  marl  beds  of  this  company  lie  in  Sections  20,  29  and  30  of 
Grass  Lake  township,  T.  2 S.,  R.  2 E.  (Fig.  26),  on  the  east  side  of 
Jackson  County.  Portage  Lake  and  other  lakes  of  this  region  are 
said  to  contain  some  marl,  but  this  bed  has  the  advantage  of  being 
close  to  the  Michigan  Central  railroad,  so  that  but  a few  hundred 
feet  of  siding  will  be  necessary.  At  first,  in  the  prospectus,  the 
factory  site  was  placed  at  the  point  marked  A in  the  map,  but  now 
the  foundations  are  at  the  point  marked  B. 

Grass  Lake  is  prevailingly  shallow.  The  deeper  holes  do  not 
appear  to  be  over  five  to  ten  feet  deep,  and  large  areas  are  less  than 
three  feet  deep.  Over  most  of  the  lake  bulrushes  ( Scirpus  lacus- 
tris)  are  growing  more  or  less  scattered.  In  a general  way  they  are 
most  thinly  scattered  over  the  deeper  holes,  and  these  are  points 
where  the  marl  is  covered  by  most  water  and  appears  to  have  most 


284 


MARL. 


organic  matter.  On  the  figure  their  distribution,  i.  e.,  that  of  the 
marl  which  comes  close  to  the  surface  and  appears  to  be  better  is 


Fig.  26.  Sketch  of  Grass  Lake,  T.  2 S.,  R.  2 E.  Property  of  Zenith  Portland  Cement 
Company.  The  numbers  are  references  to  tables  of  soundings,  not  of  depths. 


indicated.  When  the  marl  surface  comes  within  a foot  or  so  of  the 
surface,  Sagittaria  and  other  plants  join  and  soon  the  marl  becomes 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


285 


covered  with  a peaty  layer  extending  over  the  marl,  ending 
abruptly  in  a vertical  wall  a foot  or  two  high.  Between  localities 
10  and  14  extends  a tamarack  swamp.  At  14  good  yellow  marl  is 
found  beneath  four  feet  of  muck  and  sand,  and  at  10,  which  was 
at  the  inside  edge  of  the  belt  of  rushes  and  pond  lilies,  and  at  the 
beginning  of  that  of  tussocks,  ferns,  and  ordinary  swamp  vegeta- 
tion, there  was  marl  close  to  the  surface  and  over  eight  feet  deep, 
so  that  the  point  25  feet  high  with  steep  gravel  banks,  and  shores 
terraced  on  the  west  side,  which  cuts  off  the  northernmost  bay  of 
Grass  Lake  was  once  an  island  but  is  now  joined  to  the  shore  on  the 
east  by  this  marl  bottomed  tamarack  swamp. 

A similar  marginal  bog,  a hundred  feet  wide,  Soundings  15,  16, 
17,  and  18,  lines  the  north  shore,  covering  marl  which  is  quite  thick, 
but  it  does  not  extend  up  to  Tims  Lake,  as  might  seem  probable 
from  the  connecting  marsh,  and  sluggish  stream  which  joins  the 
lakes,  because  at  18  there  is  eight  feet  of  peat,  and  at  19  there  is 
only  a trace  of  marl  under  the  peat  at  six  feet, — below  which  is 
sand. 

The  marl  is  quite  extensively  covered  with  the  creeping  vine- 
like stems  of  Chara,  which  are  brittle  with  coats  of  lime.  The 
deeper  holes  are  more  likely  to  be  covered  with  a darker  green 
plant  (Potamogeton). 

The  west  shore  is  sandy  or  gravelly  where  dotted  on  the  map. 
The  land  rises  gently  and  the  lake  bottom  is  not  marly.  The 
water  along  the  edge  made  a suds,  showing  an  abundance  of  organic 
matter.  In  general  the  water  of  the  lake  seemed  full  of  organic 
matter  and  was  green  rather  than  blue.  Shells  did  not  appear  re- 
markably abundant  on  the  marl  beds.  On  the  east  side  of  the  lake 
a point  projects  with  steep  bluffs,  near  which  the  marl  appears  to 
be  thinner,  poorer  and  mixed  with  sand  (soundings  1 to  4),  and  it 
is  said  that  a shoal  streak  extends  across  the  lake.  North  of  this 
point  the  lake  deepens  to  four  feet  of  water,  then  rises  to  a heavy 
bed  of  marl  (sounding  7),  then  deepens  very  slightly. 

It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  this  lake  was  originally  abnormally 
shallow,  and  there  is  every  indication  that  its  present  shoal  charac- 
ter is  due  to  its  being  filled  up  with  lime,  mainly  deposited  by  the 
Chara  growth  from  variable  depths, — over  a large  part  of  the  lake 
doubtless  over  13  feet  deep.  There  are  about  560  acres  of  marl  or 


more. 


286 


MARL. 


The  following  is  a tabulation  of  the  results  of  the  soundings: 


Water. 

Peat  or 
muck. 

Marl. 

Bottom. 

Samples. 

Remarks. 

1. 

4 ft. 

2 

2 

6'  sand 

6' 

2. 

4 “ 

7+ 

9' 

3. 

3 “ 

5-|- 

5 

Sandy,  shells. 

4. 

2 “ 

crust 

2 gravel 

5. 

4 “ 

4+ 

6. 

4 “ 

4+ 

7. 

2 “ 

6+ 

8. 

3 “ 

5-j- 

9. 

1 ‘ 

5 

6 

3'  and  5' 

10. 

1 “ 

7+ 

8' 

11. 

2 “ 

11+ 

12. 

4 “ 

4+ 

13. 

4 

+ 

Mucky  marl. 

14. 

15. 

6 in. 

6+ 

6' 

16. 

1 ft. 

1 

6+ 

17. 

? 

18. 

8 

19. 

6 

Trace  at  6 

6 sand 

20. 

5 ft. 

gravel 

21. 

5 “ 

4- 

Sludge. 

22 

2 

6+ 

Very  good. 

23. 

2 “ 

2 

3* 

5 Vi 

Sandy. 

The  auger  reached  only  8 feet. 


In  Tims  Lake  (we  had  no  boat  there),  the  marshes  surrounding 
the  lake  seemed  very  extensive  and  it  appeared  as  though  they 
connected  the  islands  shown, — in  fact  the  shores  appeared  some- 
what like  the  dotted  line  of  Fig.  26. 

The  general  aspect  of  the  lake,  however,  is  like  that  of  Grass 
Lake. 

The  temperature  of  the  marl  sample  at  eight  feet  at  sounding 
10  was  58°,  while  the  water  a foot  or  less  deep  was  71°  F.  and  the 
air  83°  F.  At  sounding  22  the  temperature  of  the  marl  sample 
at  eight  feet  was  66°  F.  During  the  day  the  water  temperature 
warmed  up  from  79°  to  83°.  No  material  difference  could  be 
noted  in  the  water  at  the  surface  and  five  or  ten  feet  deep,  for 
there  was  a fair  southwest  breeze. 

It  is  said  that  the  company  have  clay  lands  in  Ohio.  There  are 
brick  clay  pits  to  the  south  of  this  lake  in  the  village  of  Grass 
Lake,  and  in  the  flat  immediately  adjoining  the  lake  to  the  south, 
soundings  25  to  28,  there  are  some  smooth  pebbleless  clays,  an 
analysis  of  a sample  of  which  is  given  below,  from  the  grass  roots 
down,  though  in  sounding  25  at  six  to  seven  feet  down,  a streak  of 
very  fine-grained  quicksand  was  found. 

The  clay  at  the  lake  is  the  ordinary  surface  calcareous  clay  of 
Lower  Michigan,  the  finer  part  of  a rock  flour  derived  from  almost 
all  kinds  of  rocks  settled  by  itself,  and  its  availability  for  Portland 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


287 


cement  manufacture  on  a large  scale  is  rather  doubtful.  For  ex- 
ample, it  is  doubtful  whether  it  will  remain  of  the  composition 
shown  by  analysis.  The  surface,  where  soundings  25  to  28  were, 
is  less  than  eight  feet  above  the  lake. 

The  analysis  of  the  marl  cited  in  the  prospectus  is  given  in 
column  (1).  An  analysis  by  W.  M.  Courtis  of  Detroit,  is  given  in 
column  (2),  and  one  by  Prof.  F.  S.  Kedzie  in  column  (3). 

No.  (1)  is  evidently  of  a sample  of  dried  marl,  and  I think  that 
more  or  less  organic  matter  must  have  been  removed  with  the  water. 

No.  (2)  is  of  a sample  dried  at  100°  C.  and  only  42.11$  of  the  orig- 
inal sample. 


Analyst. 


Silica  Si02 

Alumina  and  iron 

Calcium  oxide  CaO  

as  carbonate 

Magnesia 

as  carbonate  

Sulphuric  acid  SOs 

Carbon  dioxide  C02 

Organic  matter  and  water 
Difference 


Prospectus  av. 


W.  M.  Courtis. 


F.  S.  Kedzie. 


1.22 

.61 


74 


See  diff. 


83.045 


1.201 

0.485 


11.700 

3.569 


9.64 

1.92 

43.15 

(77.2) 

1.50 

(3.72) 


32.80 

10.99 


100.000 


100.00 


The  character  of  the  deposit  is  distinctly  that  of  Chara  lime  and 
it  will  be  noticed  in  analysis  No.  2 that  there  is  but  32.80$  of  C02 
whereas  to  turn  the  calcium  and  magnesium  oxides  into  carbon- 
ates 36.27$  would  be  needed,  so  that  probably  quite  a little  of  the 
lime  is  united  either  with  sulphuric,  or  more  likely  an  organic 
(succinic)  acid. 

The  supply  of  marl  is  said  to  be  equivalent  to  400  acres  20  feet 
deep.  As  we  could  not  sound  over  13  feet,  we  have  no  means  of 
checking  the  statement  exactly.  There  is  certainly  a large  supply  of 
marl  over  most  of  which  no  stripping  will  be  necessary. 

The  plan  is  to  dredge  the  marl,  and  transport  by  a lakeside 
entrance  to  the  factory,  and  pump  out.  The  plan  is  to  have  a rotary 
pump  of  the  latest  design  and  the  cost  is  figured  not  to  exceed  80 
cents  per  barrel. 

The  prospectus  figures  selling  price  at  $1.40  a barrel,  which  was 
probably  right  then,  but  later,  September,  1901,  cement  was  de- 
livered in  Lansing  at  from  $1.40  to  $1.50  per  barrel,  and  even  at  times 
perhaps  $1.25  for  new  brands,  and  I am  told  that  it  has  been  sold  in 


288 


MARL. 


Michigan  f.  o.  b.  at  factory  at  90  cents  to  $1.00.  Cement  advanced, 
however,  during  the  printing  of  this  report,  to  over  $2.00. 

The  prospectus  also  says  that  “coal  for  power  can  be  obtained  in 
abundance  within  ten  miles  of  the  plant.”  There  is  very  likely 
some  coal  at  that  distance,  but  hardly  an  abundant  supply. 

An  analysis  by  Prof.  F.  S.  Kedzie  of  an  average  marl  from  loca- 
tions 5,  7,  9,  15,  16,  at  8,  6,  3 and  5,  6 and  8 feet,  respectively,  is  given 
in  column  (3). 

His  analysis  of  the  apparently  best  sample  of  clay  at  the  south 
end  of  the  lake,  location  28  at  eight  feet  depth,  is  as  follows : 


Si02  49.86 

(Al2Fe2)Oa 21.22 

CaO 6.32 

MgO  2.75 

C02  5.44 

Organic  matter  and  water 7.14 

Undetermined  7.27 


100.00 

Carbonates  are  unusually  low  for  a surface  clay,  which  is  a good 
point,  but  the  alumina  is  high. 

Standard  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  November  15,  1900.  Capital  $1,000,000.  Office  at 
Detroit. 

This  company  will  develop  the  lime  which  exists  in  Zukey  and 
adjacent  lakes,  at  Lakelands,  where  the  Ann  Arbor  R.  R.  and 
the  Air  Line  of  the  Grand  Trunk  R.  R.  cross.  Prof.  I.  C.  Russell 
was  employed  to  test  the  marl  beds,  but  some  time  before  I made 
a cursory  examination.  His  report  was  published, — in  part, — in  the 
prospectus. 

Referring  to  the  map,  Fig.  27,  we  see  a group  of  lakes,  which 
evidently  were  once  much  more  continuous,  and  have  been  sepa- 
rated by  marsh  growth,  while  the  15  to  20-foot  bluffs  which  mark 
the  original  borders  of  the  lakes  are  plain.  Zukey  Lake  was  the 
one  which  I studied  myself  more  carefully.  The  west  side  is  lined 
with  a thick  and  pure  bed  of  bog  lime  which  is  capped  by  a growth 
of  marsh  plants  and  peat,  a foot  or  two  thick  and  coming  up  to  the 
lake  in  a perpendicular  wall.  The  marl  bed  projects  out  white  be- 
neath, and  upon  it  there  is  Chara,  and  occasionally  dead  shells  of 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


289 


37-Pt.  Ill 


Fig.  27.  Lakes  near  Lakelands.  T.  IN.,  R.  5 E.  Location  of  Standard  Portland  Cement  Co. 


290 


MAUL. 


Unio,  etc.,  and  twigs  are  heavily  coated  with  lime.  The  north  part 
of  the  lake  has  a sandy  shore  and  the  bluffs  are  of  gravel,  and  the 
shells  are  not  so  coated.  On  the  southeast  side  of  the  lake  the 
marl  seems  to  he  covered  with  pebbles,  brown  above  and  green 
below,  which  prove,  however,  to  be  Scliizothrix  concretions. 

The  cuts  through  by  the  marl  bottomed  Round  Lake  to  Strawberry 
Lake  are  artificial,  through  a marsh  covering  a bed  of  boglime.  In 
Strawberry  Lake  itself,  which  is  merely  an  enlargement  of  Huron 
River,  the  lime  does  not  seem  to  he  so  continuous.  In  this  lake 
however,  at  the  place  which  I have  called  Blind  Island,  is  an  atoll- 
like formation  which  is  significant  of  the  origin  of  the  lime  in 
general.  There  is  a small,  nearly  circular  area  of  uniformly  shallow 
water,  beneath  which  is  boglime,  around  the  margin  of  which  there1 
is  a mat  of  vegetation  of  rushes  and  other  aquatic  forms,  in  a ring. 
Outside  the  ring  the  water  drops  off  suddenly  to  a depth  beyond 
my  sounding  pole.  I should  say  that  the  whole  region  is  one  of 
irregular  topography,  of  kames  and  gravel  knolls,  and  the  explana- 
tion of  this  island  seems  to  be  that  in  the  original  bottom  of  the 
lake  there  was  a knoll  which  rose  near  enough  to  the  surface  of  the 
water  to  make  a good  seat  for  the  lime  secreting  plants,  which 
built  up  the  deposit  to  near  the  surface,  thereafter  building  out 
slowly  in  all  directions  on  the  debris  which  forms  and  slides  down 
the  slopes,  whereupon  the  other  plants  came  in,  but  possibly  the 
spring*  ice  has  checked  the  formation  of  a permanent  bog  mat  of 
vegetation.  If  the  explanation  is  correct,  they  are  like  the  coral 
islands  in  origin  as  wrell  as  looks. 

The  cause  of  the  distribution  of  the  boglime  is  not  altogether 
clear.  It  does  not  seem  generally  to  prefer  to  run  up  against  a 
gravel  shore,  but  possibly  that  may  be  due  to  gravel  washed  down 
upon  it.  Silver  Lake,  for  instance,  which  lies  in  quite  a deep  hollow, 
does  not  appear  to  have  boglime,  while  the  marshy  hollows  next 
east  appear  to  be  underlain  with  it. 

This  property  is  said  to  have  been  sold  to  Cincinnati  capitalists 
recently.  * 

Prof.  E.  D.  Campbell  of  Ann  Arbor  tested  the  materials.  The 
analvsis  of  the  raw  material  “gathered  bv  Frof.  Russell  during  his 
examination  and  a composite  sample7’  is  Ho.  1.  Ho.  2 is  from  Lime 
Lake,  Ho.  3 from  Zukey. 


* Detroit  Today,  12:  6:  1902. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


291 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

No.  3. 

Silica 

.96 

1.30 

1.30 

Ferric  oxide 

.62  ) 

.70 

.58 

Alumina 

.00  j 

Calcium  carbonate 

93.92 

94.98 

94.52 

Magnesium  oxide 

1.79 

1.44 

1.44 

Sulphuric  anhydride 

Difference,  carbon  dioxide 

.58 

tr. 

tr. 

and  organic  matter 

2.13 

1.58 

2.16 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Clay. 

3.7G 
62.55 
17.40 
5.08 
1.67 
tr. 

5.55 
2.30 
1.69 

100.00 

Wayne  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  March  18,  1903.  Capital  $800,000,  Office  in  Detroit. 

Dr.  G.  Duffield  Stewart  says  that  they  own  470  acres  of  marl  land 
within  six  miles  of  Brighton  on  the  T.  & A.  A.  R.  R. 

Pyramid  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  January  17,  1901.  Corporation  office  at  Detroit.  Cap- 
ital $525,000,000. 

This  plant  is  to  be  located  at  Spring  Arbor,  where  abundant  ma- 
terial is  said  to  be  near.  It  is  planned  to  be  a 1,200  barrel  a day 
plant. 

The  lime  deposits  here  were  noted  by  the  Douglas  Houghton 
Survey,  and  there  are  exposures  of  coal  measure  shales  not  far  off. 

An  average  analysis  of  the  marl  is  given  among  Prof.  Fall’s 
analyses  on  p.  352,  — and  also  an  analysis  of  Jackson  clay, — a little 
high  in  alumina. 

German  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  March  29,  1901.  Capital  $300,000.00.  Office  in  Detroit. 

This  company  was  organized  to  develop  the  beds  around  White 
Pigeon,  T.  8 S.,  R.  11  W.  They  are  now  building  tlieir  plant  near 
the  village  on  the  Lake  Shore  road,  hoping  to  be  ready  by  July, 
1902. 


Sand . . 

Silica 

Alumina 

Ferric  oxide 

Magnesium  oxide 

Sulphuric  anhydride 

Combined  water  and  organic  matter 

Calcium  oxide 

Difference,  alkalies,  etc 


292 


MARL. 


They  expect  to  use  water  power  for  grinding  and  electricity. 

The  lime  comes  from  Marl  Lake,  two  miles  southeast  of  the 
town,  which  has  been  described  by  Mr.  Hale  on  p.  103. 

Three  Rivers  Cement  Co. 

Organized  August  10,  1900.  Capital  $20,000.00.  Office  at  Three 
Rivers,  and  intended  to  develop  the  beds  of  boglime  in  that  region, 
at  Pleasant  and  Fisher’s  Lakes,  where  it  is  said  to  be  all  over  the 
lakes  and  14  feet  deep  in  some  places.  These  plants  are  geologically 
in  the  same  region  as  the  already  established  Branch  County  plants, 
and  in  a general  way  similarly  located,  though  there  are  no  out- 
crops of  shale  clay  at  hand. 

Farwell  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  June  29,  1901.  Capital  $350,000.00 ; $10  shares.  Bonds 
$175,000.00,  6^  twenty-year  gold  bonds.  Officers:  J.  L.  Littlefield. 
Geo.  W.  Graham,  T.  F.  Bingham,  W.  C.  Hull,  W.  C.  Fuller. 

This  is  the  company  organized  to  develop  the  Littlefield  Lake 
marl  deposits,  elsewhere  described  by  Prof.  G.  A.  Davis,*  and 
illustrated  in  Plate  XIX.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  marsh  cover- 
ing is  rarely  as  much  as  three  feet,  usually  from  two  feet  down. 

The  deposit,  while  not  as  accessible  as  some,  is  not  far  from  the 
junction  of  the  Ann  Arbor  and  Pere  Marquette  systems,  which  will 
give  good  shipping  facilities  at  Farwell,  where  the  plant  will  be. 

The  analysis  from  samples  collected  by  Prof.  Davis  personally, 
and  analyzed  by  Prof.  F.  S.  Kedzie,  is  as  follows: 


Calcium  as  oxide 

51.00 

51,67 

51.04 

51.23 

Magnesium  as  oxide 

1.75 

1.22 

1.61 

1.20 

Carbon  dioxide 

42.94 

42.41 

42.96 

42.80 

95.69 

95.30 

95.68 

95.23 

Calcium  as  carbonate. . . . 

91.1 

92.2 

91.2 

91.6 

Magnesium  as  carbonate. 

3.67 

2.55 

3.36 

2.50 

Shortage  of  C02 

.92 

.55 

1.05 

1.13 

Insoluble  (silica) 

0.31 

0.34 

0.30 

0.63 

Iron  and  al.  oxides 

0.33 

0.16 

0.24 

0.10 

Difference  (organic)  .... 

3.67 

3.60 

3.65 

3.99 

Total 


100.00 


Geological  Survey  of  ^Michigan. 


Vol.  VIII.  Part  III.  Plate  XIX. 


NORTH 


SOUTH 

PROPERTY  OF  FARWELL  PORTLAND  CEMENT  COMPANY. 


RECORD  OF  BORINGS. 


V 


— 


■ 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


293 


No.  1 is  a mixed  sample  from  the  large  islands. 

No.  2 is  from  hole  24,  unmixed. 

No.  3 is  a mixed  sample  from  fifteen  holes,  the  northwest  half  of 
the  lake. 

No.  4 is  a mixed  sample  from  five  holes,  the  southwest  half  of  the 
lake. 

Farwell  is  only  about  50  miles  from  the  Saginaw  coal  fields  by 
the  Pere  Marquette,  and  the  Ann  Arbor  runs  direct  to  Ohio,  in  case 
the  clay  should  be  drawn  thence,  and  also  passes  close  to  the  shale 
clays  around  Corunna,  already  mentioned. 

In  the  Littlefield  Lake  marl  the  calcite  is  in  lumps  of  all  sizes, 
but  even  when  no  larger  than  0.001  mm.  often  showing  aggregate 
polarization.  I was  not  able  to  discover  any  sharply  crystalline 
grains  like  those  in  precipitates. 

Clare  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Incorporated  in  New  Jersey.  Capital  $1,000,000.00,  with  100,000 
shares. 

The  company  owns  1,905.61  acres  of  land  in  Grant  and  Hatton 
townships,  Clare  County,  T.  17  and  18  N.,  R.  4 W. 

It  is  mainly  located  at  Five  Lakes,  Sections  5,  8,  9 and  16. 

The  report  of  the  consulting  engineer,  Prof.  R.  C.  Carpenter, 
follows.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  clays  are  the  ordinary  surface 
clays  with  a large  amount  of  carbonates,  except  one,  which  is 
probably  only  a relatively  thin  superficial  layer  in  which  the  lime 
has  been  leached  out. 

A production  of  1,000  barrels  a day  is  planned. 

The  officers  are,  H.  Robinson  of  Akron,  president;  C.  W.  Somers 
of  Cleveland,  and  the  J.  II.  Somers  Coal  Co.,  of  St.  Charles,  vice 
president;  C.  W.  Perry  of  Clare,  secretary;  F.  G.  Benham  of  Sag- 
inaw, treasurer. 

Extract  from  Prof.  Carpenter’s  report  to  the  Clare  Portland  Ce- 
ment Company. 

In  September  last  I made  an  examination  of  the  Portland  cement 
lands  owned  by  W.  H.  Shepard  and  partners,  of  Saginaw,  Michigan, 
and  would  respectfully  report  the  following  results  of  the  examina- 
tion: 

Location. 

These  lands  are  located  in  township  17  north,  range  4 west, 
known  as  the  township  of  Grant.  They  comprise  altogether  1,905.61 
acres,  and  are  principally  located  in  Sections  5,  8,  9,  and  16.  They 


294 


MARL. 


are  situated  at  an  average  distance  of  about  five  miles  from  the 
city  of  Clare,  and  at  a distance  of  about  three  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  village  of  Farwell.  The  lands  are  located  about  one  mile 
from  the  Harrison  branch  of  the  Pere  Marquette  railroad,  and 
about  three  miles  from  the  Ann  Arbor  railroad.  No  less  than  five 
switches  for  logging  railroads  were  at  one  time  graded  through  the 
property,  and  these  grades  are  now  all  in  good  condition  for  rail- 
road service  by  simply  laying  of  ties  and  track.  The  property  is  all 
owned  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Shepard  and  partners,  who  claim  to  have  a 
perfect  title. 

The  country  surrounding  this  property  is  a highly  developed 
farming  region  with  a clay  loam  or  clay  soil,  and  is  quite  rolling  in 
character. 

Amount  of  Cement  Material. 

The  cement  material  which  is  found  on  this  tract  of  land  consists 
of  marl  and  clay  of  very  excellent  quality. 

The  marl  is  found  in  the  bed  of  five  lakes,  where  it  is  covered 
with  water,  which  varies  in  depth  from  a few  inches  to  several 
feet;  it  is  also  found  in  several  swamps  which  surround  the  lakes 
or  lie  adjacent  to  them,  where  it  is  covered  with  muck,  having  a 
depth  which  varies  from  a few  inches  to  one  or  two  feet.  The  total 
amount  of  the  marl  land  as  measured  by  a planimeter  from  an 
accurate  map  submitted,  is  754  acres,  of  which  233  acres  are  lake 
and  521  marsh.  The  average  depth  of  the  marl  over  this  entire 
tract  would  seem,  from  such  information  as  I can  obtain,  which 
was  checked  from  actual  measurement,  in  a large  number  of  places 
to  exceed  twenty  feet  in  depth,  but  in  order  to  make  a safe  estimate, 
I have  assumed  that  it  was  but  fifteen  feet  in  depth.  To  determine* 
the  amount  of  Portland  cement  which  could  be  manufactured  from 
this  amount  of  material,  we  will  consider  the  following  data  refer- 
ring to  the  composition  of  Portland  cement. 

One  barrel  of  Portland  cement  contains  380  pounds,  of  which, 
under  usual  conditions,  64  per  cent  would  be  lime  (CaO)  and  the 
remainder  part  clay.  Koughly  speaking,  two-tliirds  of  the  Port- 
land cement  is  lime  and  one-third  clay.  The  marl  is  carbonate  of 
lime  (CaCO).  The  weight  of  the  carbonate  of  lime  for  a given  bulk 
is  in  excess  of  that  of  the  lime  as  100  is  to  56.  Calculating  from 
data  thus  submitted,  it  will  be  found  that  for  one  barrel  of  Port- 
land cement  would  be  required  570  pounds  of  carbonate  of  lime, 
which  is  about  the  equivalent  of  marl  when  perfectly  dry.  In  order 
to  account  for  impurities  of  various  kinds,  and  to  make  the  esti- 
mate doubly  safe,  it  is  assumed  that  600  pounds  of  dry  marl  will  be 
required  for  each  barrel  of  cement. 

The  marl  as  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  lakes  usually  contains 
70  per  cent  of  water,  and  that  from  swamps  usually  contains  50 
per  cent  of  water.  This  would  indicate  that  for  each  cubic  foot 
taken  from  the  bottom  of  the  lake  would  contain  48  pounds  and 
that  from  the  marsh  would  contain  80  pounds  of  carbonate  of  lime. 


♦Compare  calculations  on  page  39,  and  pages  167  to  168. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


295 


Consequently,  it  would  require  for  each  barrel  of  cement  made, 
12.5  cubic  feet  of  lake  marl,  or  7.5  cubic  feet  of  marsh  marl.  It  is 
seen  from  this  that  the  marsh  marl  is  preferable,  for  the  reason 
that  it  contains  less  water,  which  must  be  evaporated  during  the 
process  of  manufacture. 

One  acre  equals  43,560  square  feet,  and  if  worked  fifteen  deep 
would  make  93,100  barrels  of  cement  from  the  marsh  marl  and 
52,150  barrels  from  the  lake  marl.  The  total  capacity  of  the  deposit 
by  this  calculation  would  be  from  the  marsh  marl  48,505,100,  and 
from  the  lake  marl  12,150,950  barrels,  making  a total  of  60,650,050 
barrels.  If  the  deposit  were  worked  at  the  rate  of  1,000  barrels 
per  day  for  365  days  each  year,  it  would  furnish  a supply  for  166 
years. 

Clay  of  very  excellent  quality,  as  shown  by  the  analysis  accom- 
panying the  report,  is  found  in  large  quantities  immediately  ad- 
jacent to  the  marl  beds.  The  clay  covers  an  area  exceeding  160 
acres  and  has  a depth  varying  from  20  to  60  feet.  About  one  and 
one-half  cubic  feet  of  clay  are  required  per  barrel  of  cement,  al- 
though when  carbonate  of  lime  is  mixed  with  the  clay,  as  is  found 
in  this  deposit,  the  amount  required  will  be  more,  and  may  average 
two  and  one-half  cubic  feet  per  barrel.  This  condition,  of  course, 
implies  the  use  of  less  marl,  which  is  not  taken  into  account  in 
estimating  our  quantity.  Taking  the  clay  as  averaging  30  feet 
in  depth,  one  acre  would  supply  enough  for  493,000  barrels.  This 
calculation  indicates  that  the  amount  of  clay  available  is  much  in 
excess  of  that  required  to  manufacture  the  marl  into  Portland 
cement. 

In  addition  to  the  clay  in  the  upland  adjacent  to  the  marl,  an  in- 
vestigation shoAvs  that  it  lies  underneath  the  marl,  and  consequently 
the  amount  available  is  much  in  excess  of  Avhat  the  calculation  indi- 
cates. 

Roughly  speaking,  there  is  enough  material  to  operate  a cement 
plant  making  a thousand  barrels  per  day,  for  a period  exceeding 
166  years. 

Character  of  Cement  Material. 

An  analysis  of  the  dry  sample  of  marl  shows  as  follows: 

No.  1.  No.  2. 


Clay,  i.  e.,  .silica,  alumina,  iron 3.65  2.56 

Calcium  carbonate 94.15  96.04 

Magnesium  carbonate 2.20  1.40 


An  examination  of  various  samples  has  as  yet 4 shown  no  free 
sand.  As  the  surrounding  country  is  largely  clay,  it  is  very  im- 
probable that  any  is  found  in  the  marl. 


296 


MARL. 


An  analysis  of  dried  samples  of  clay  shows  the  following  results: 


Silica 

Alumina 

Iron 

Calcium  Carbonate  — 
Magnesium  Carbonate. 
Loss 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

No.  3. 

No.  4. 

Top  of 

About  20 

About  30 

Beneath 

bank. 

feet  down. 

feet  down. 

marl. 

65.05 

47.60 

45.60 

50.40 

25.00  1 
5.80  f 

15.00 

15.85 

22.10 

2.05 

28.29 

28.82 

24.00 

0.40 

6.00 

8.60 

0.52 

1.64 

2.91 

3.13 

2.98 

These  analyses  differ  from  each  other  in  the  percentage  of  cal- 
cium carbonate  present.  This  is  a very  desirable  addition*  to  the 
clay,  but  for  the  purpose  of  comparison,  the  following  table  is 
presented,  which  is  calculated  on  the  basis  of  no  carbonate  of  lime 
being  present,  and  magnesia  is  reduced  from  carbonate  to  oxide. 


No.  1. 


SiO, 

67.60 

MgO  

0.19 

A1A  

26.00 

Fe303  

6.00 

No.  2. 

No.  3. 

No.  4. 

69.45 

68.95 

69.02 

4.20 

4.65 

0.35 

21.80 

23.35 

30.26 

These  clays  are  all  high  in  silica,  which  is  the  most  desirable 
element  in  the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement,  and  they  are  low 
in  any  elements  which  are  undesirable.  In  fact,  these  clays  are 
hardly  to  be  surpassed  in  chemical  composition,  and  so  far  as  the 
writer  knows,  are  fully  equal  to  those  found  in  any  locality. 

In  connection  with  the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement  expe- 
rience has  shown  much  more  difficulty  in  securing  deposits  of 
good  clay  than  in  obtaining  carbonate  of  lime,  and  most  of  the 
difficulties  which  have  been  experienced  in  the  manufacture  of  Port- 
land cement  have  been  due  to  the  fact  that  the  clays  obtainable 
contain  less  than  50  per  cent  of  silica.  As  showing  the  fact  that  a 
good  cement  is  made  with  clay  of  a similar  composition,  I submit 
analysis  of  the  Sandusky  clay,  used  by  the  Sandusky  Cement  Com- 
pany, and  the  Warner  clay,  used  by  the  Empire  Cement  Company, 
two  of  the  oldest  companies  using  marl  and  clay,  reduced  to  a 
similar  basis  as  the  table  given  above. 


SiO, 

Al26., 

Fe20, 

MgO 


Sandusky. 
. 72.2 

. 18.30  ) 

. 6.65  1 

2.08 


Empire. 

65.50 

33.50 


0.82 


99.23  99.82 


♦In  this  statement,  Prof.  Carpenter  differs  from  the  prevailing  opinion,  as  may  be 
noted  by  comparing  statements  elsewhere  in  the  report.  This  is  not  because  the 
calcium  carbonate  itself  is  deleterious,  but  because  as  the  analyses  show  it  is 
liable  to  be  very  variable,  and  to  be  associated  with  much  magnesia,  so  that  it  is 
more  difficult  to  make  the  cement  of  a constant  composition.  L. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  ANIJ  MILLS. 


297 


I have  made  in  the  laboratory  of  Sibley  College,  a small  quantity 
of  Portland  Cement  from  this  material.  This  was  of  excellent  qual- 
ity, giving  a tensile  strength  as  follows : 


Age. 

Strength  (lbs.) 

Remarks. 

Age. 

Strength  (lbs.) 

Remarks. 

2 days 

285 

Neat. 

1 month.. 

1022 

Neat. 

“ 

328 

Neat. 

1 “ 

1112 

Neat. 

2 “ 

375 

Neat. 

1 “ 

962 

Neat. 

8 “ 

868 

Neat. 

7 days — 

240 

3 pts.  sand. 

8 “ 

860 

Neat. 

7 “ .... 

220 

3 pts.  sand. 

1 month. . . 

1056 

Neat. 

7 “ .... 

212 

3 pts.  sand. 

All  samples  left  one  day  in  air  and  remainder  of  time  in  water. 

Watervale  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Capital  $1,000,000.00,  of  which  $600,000  common,  $400,000  pre- 
ferred, a share  of  the  common  being  given  with  every  share  of  the 
preferred. 

The  parties  interested  in  this  project  were  also  interested  in  the 
Omega  and  Elk  Rapids,  and  apparently  are  letting  it  lie  dormant, 
until  the  latter  are  better  established.  The  company  was  said  to 
own  800  acres  of  marl  bed,  on  the  Willow  Brook  farm  and  about 
the  Herring  Lakes,  in  Sections  13,  14,  15,  22,  23,  24,  T.  25  N.,  R.  16 
W.,  and  Sections  18  and  19,  T.  25  N.,  R.  15  W.  The  average  depth  is 
said  to  be  20  feet.  There  is  said  to  be  also  60  acres  of  clay  banks 
three  feet  deep  and  over,  and  175  acres  of  other  lands  with  houses, 
etc. 

A feature  of  this  proposition  is  the  nearness  to  the  Great  Lakes, 
so  that  the  lower  lake  can  easily  be  made  a harbor,  being  from  60 
to  80  feet  deep,  while  the  upper  lake,  which  is  said  to  be  shallow, 
is  said  to  be  underlain  by  over  25  feet  of  marl,  which  also  extends 
beneath  the  swTamps  around  its  margin,  where  it  is  covered  by  not 

over  three  feet  of  vegetable  matter. 

One  reason  for  the  comparative  scarcity  of  marl  near  the  Great 

Lakes  may  be  that  owing  to  the  relatively  recent  fluctuations  of 
level,  there  has  been  not  enough  time  for  its  accumulation,  and  it  is 
worth  noting  that  these  lakes  are  close  to  an  axial  line  of  tilting, 
passing  through  Port  Huron,  along  which  the  lake  level  must  have 
been  relatively  permanent.  The  property  was  reported  upon  by 
Lathbury  & Spackman,  Prof.  Delos  Fall,  and  C.  B.  Stowe. 

Lupton  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Organized  under  the  laws  of  New  Jersey,  January,  1901.  Office  in 
Chicago.  G.  T.  Stanley,  president;  E.  A.  Worthington,  vice  pres- 
38-Pt.  Ill 


298 


MARL. 


ident  and  treasurer;  W.  Higgs,  secretary;  W.  C.  Edgar,  assistant 
secretary;  A.  H.  Cederberg,  superintendent.  Capital  $1,250,000,  of 
which  $600,000  was  to  be  placed  on  the  market,  two-thirds  at  two- 
thirds  of  par,  the  balance  at  par. 

The  size  of  the  plant  planned  may  be  1,200  barrels  daily  output. 

The  photographs  in  the  prospectus  show  very  well  the  swampy 
outbuilt  margin  to  the  lakes. 

Mr.  Stanley  is  we  believe  the  prime  mover  in  this  company, 
having  been  engaged  in  lumbering  around  Lupton. 

Extracts  from  the  report  of  A.  H.  Cederberg : 

Messrs.  Lathbury  & Spackman  of  Philadelphia,  have  analyzed 
our  marl  and  clay,  and  the  following  is  their  analysis  in  full : 

Lab.  No.  942. — Marl  from  North  Lake  No.  1. 


Silica  (Si02) 25$ 

Alumina  and  Iron  Oxide  (A1203  Feo03).  .19$ 

Lime  (CaO) 52.38$  93.53$ 

Magnesia  (MgO) 1.14$  CaC03 

Sulphuric  Acid  (S03) 18$ 

Loss  on  Ignition 46.05$ 


100.19 

Lab.  No.  943. — Marl  from  North  Lake  No.  2. 


Silica  (Si02) 24$ 

Alumina  and  Iron  Oxide  (A1203  Fe203).  .08$ 

Lime  (CaO) 52.97$  94.58$ 

Magnesia  (MgO) 1.13$  CaC03 

Sulphuric  Acid  (S03) 08$ 

Loss  on  Ignition 45.49$ 


99.99 

The  analyses  of  marls  show  them  to  be  very  uniform  and  high 
in  lime,  while  they  are  low  in  injurious  ingredients,  such  as  mag- 
nesia and  sulphuric  acid,  hence  are  well  adapted  to  the  manu- 
facture of  Portland  cement. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


299 


Lab.  No.  957.— Blue  Clay  No.  2.* 


Silica  (Si02).  . . 

Alumina  & Iron  Oxide  (A1203  & Fe203). 

Lime  (CaO) 

Magnesia  (MgO)  

Sulphuric  Acid  (S03).  

Loss  on  ignition 


Difference  (alkalies) 


56.0<)$ 

28.89$ 

Very 

00.00$ 

little 

0.58$ 

Iron 

0.41$ 

Oxide 

7.58^ 

93.55 

6.45 

This  clay  is  well  adapted  for  the  manufacture  of  Portland 
cement.  A mixture  of  equal  parts  of  blue  clay  No.  2,  and  the 
Spring  Lake  clayf  would  give  a clay  with  a better  ratio  between 
the  alumina  and  silica  than  the  blue  clay  alone;  also  the  percent- 
age of  magnesia  in  this  mixture  would  be  low. 

The  village  of  Lupton  is  on  the  Rose  City  branch  of  the  Detroit 
and  Mackinac  railway,  about  27  miles  from  the  Emery  Junction. 
The  conditions  for  a mill  site  are  more  than  satisfactory.  A mill 
could  be  erected,  as  suggested,  right  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village 
of  Lupton,  or  down  by  the  lakes,  which  are  situated  about  a mile 
from  the  village  itself. 

The  marl  deposits  are,  I may  say,  inexhaustible;  and  from 
samples  taken,  not  only  by  myself,  but  that  have  also  been  for- 
warded to  me  from  Lupton,  and  to  Messrs.  Lathbury  & Spackman 
of  Philadelphia,  I can  state  that  the  marl  is  superior  in  its  quality 
to  most  of  the  marl  beds  that  have  come  to  my  notice.  The  con- 
ditions for  getting  at  this  marl  are  very  easy.  One  of  the  lakes 
could  be  drained  at  an  expense  of  a few  hundred  dollars  to  such  an 
extent  that  steam  shovels  would  be  entirely  unnecessary,  thus 
reducing  the  cost  of  putting  the  marl  on  cars  to  the  mill,  to  a 
minimum. 

The  clay  that  has  been  found  on  the  property  is  not  very  well 
adapted  to  the  mixture  for  first-class  Portland  cement;  but  only  a 
few  miles  away  from  there  another  clay  deposit  is  of  superior 
quality,  and  which  clay,  I am  informed,  can  be  deposited  at  the  mill 
at  a cost  of  thirty  cents  per  ton.  The  ratio  between  marl  and  clay 
necessary  for  a mixture  would  lie  between  the  figures  of  four  and 
five  to  one. 

After  having  made  thorough  chemical  analyses  of  the  raw  mater- 
ial, and  which  analyses  correspond  entirely  to  those  made  by  Mes- 
srs. Lathbury  & Spackman,  I went  to  work  and  ran  through  a 
rotary  kiln  enough  raw  material  to  produce  a sufficient  quantity 
of  Portland  cement,  in  order  to  make  necessary  physical  tests. 
The  chemical  mixture  in  the  raw  was  made  so  as  to  conform  to  the 
standard  requirements  of  Portland  cement  by  the  American  Soci- 
ety of  Civil  Engineers,  which  requirements,  as  you  well  know,  are 


* Apparently  a Michigan  series  shale  clay.  L. 

f A brown  clay  used  to  reduce  the  ratio  of  alumina  which  is  rather  too  high. 


300 


MARL. 


higher  even  than  those  of  the  United  States  government.  The  fine- 
ness of  the  cement  produced  was  satisfactory,  the  color  was  pure 
Portland  shade  and  tensile  strength  on  the  briquettes  made  was 
as  follows: 

After  24  hours:  444  and  486  lbs.  Average  460  lbs. 

(Final  set  in  air  and  balance  in  water.) 

After  3 days : 618  and  643  lbs.  Average  633  lbs. 

(1  day  in  air ; 2 days  in  water.) 

After  7 days:  702  and  829  lbs.  Average  815J  lbs. 

(1  day  in  air  and  6 days  in  water.) 

After  30  days:  891  and  916  lbs.  Average  903J  lbs. 

(1  day  in  air,  29  days  in  water.) 

Only  the  regular  methods  adopted  in  cement  making  were  used 
in  the  making  of  these  briquettes.  The  initial  setting  was  172  min- 
utes; the  final  setting  360  minutes  in  all  instances.  The  amount  of 
sulphuric  acid  in  the  finished  product  was  1.53  per  cent,  thus  insur- 
ing a cement  of  superior  quality  and  of  which  there  can  be  no  doubt  * 
as  to  its  durability. 

In  using  the  above  figures,  I have  taken  into  consideration  the 
fact  that  you  must  produce  1,200  barrels  of  Portland  cement  every 
24  hours.  That  means  that  a plant  must  be  constructed  that  has  a 
capacity  of  turning  out  1,500  barrels  in  the  same  time — 24  hours. 

It  may  astonish  you  to  hear  of  this,  but  it  remains  as  an  absolute 
fact.  We  very  often  hear  that  parties  go  to  work  and  construct 
a cement  plant  of  1,200  barrels  capacity,  and  they  will  figure  in 
this  1,200  barrels  on  no  repair  account  whatever.  As  a result, 
there  are  in  the  United  States  to  day  only  two  mills  to  my  knowl- 
edge that  have  a capacity  of  standing  by  the  figures  agreed  upon 
for  a 24  hour  output.  These  two  mills  are  the  Lehigh  Portland 
Cement  Company’s  mill  “B,”  at  West  Coplay,  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
Whitehall  Portland  Cement  Company’s  mill  at  Cement  Town, 
Pennsylvania.  It  must  be  very  evident  to  you  that  if  an  engineer 
guarantees  to  turn  out  cement  at  a certain  figure,  he  must  rely 
upon  it  that  his  output  is  never  decreased,  but  if  anything,  increased 
during  the  24  hour  run.  We  very  often  hear  some  engineers  that 
guarantee  200  barrels  of  clinkers  per  day  in  a 60-foot  rotary  kiln. 
That  guarantee  is  all  nonsense.  It  is  an  absolute  impossibility. 

In  the  first  instance,  every  rotary  kiln  must  stand  idle  from  three 
to  four  hours  every  day,  owing  to  what  is  in  burning  practice 
called  “patching.”  Hence,  if  a cement  mill  has  got,  say  for  in- 
stance, twelve  rotary  kilns,  it  means  to  say  that  two  rotary  kilns 
will  practically  lie  idle  during  the  24  hours. 

Furthermore,  patching  is  not  the  only  cause  of  shutting  down  a 
kiln.  The  brick  lining  in  a rotary  kiln  is  subjected  to  an  intensely 
hard  wear  and  tear,  and  it  is  nothing  unusual  to  see  rotary  kilns 
relined  partly  every  two  months.  That  means  another  shut  down 
of  the  rotary  kilns  for  two  whole  days.  In  my  experience,  I have 
found  that  it  is  a safe  guarantee  to  figure  on  a rotary  kiln  having 
an  average  monthly  capacity  of  130  barrels  of  clinkers  in  24  hours. 
So  much  in  the  rotary  kiln  process. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


301 


If  we  go  to  the  grinding  process,  the  conditions  there  are  just  the 
same.  A maker  of  machinery  has  been  invited  to  figure  on  an  out- 
fit to  produce  so  many  barrels.  He  gives  you  a figure.  You  go  to 
another  manufacturer  and  he  turns  in  .another  figure.  The  manu- 
facturer that  turned  in  the  first  figure  has  probably  been  a trifle 
too  high.  He  wants  to  reduce  his  first  figure  in  order  to  obtain  the 
bid,  and  the  first  thing  he  overrates  the  grinding  capacity  of  the 
machine  he  proposes  to  furnish.  Knowing  this  full  well,  it  is  an 
absolute  necessity  to  have  a surplus  of  grinding  capacity  in  both  raw 
and  clinker  departments  of  not  less  than  twenty-five  per  cent,  thus 
doing  away  with  any  danger  whatever  tending  to  reduce  your  24 
hour  output  and  increase  the  manufactured  cost  per  barrel. 

It  is  also  a very  noticeable  fact  that  repairs  cost  as  a rule  a mere 
trifle  as  far  as  cost  is  concerned,  and  that  the  largest  expense  in 
connection  with  the  cement  mill  is  the  shut  downs , thus  decreasing 
the  output  and  increasing  the  cost  to  a considerable  degree. 

Standiford  Portland  Cement  Company. 

In  the  northwest  corner  of  Branch  County,  not  far  from  Union 
City  but  nearer  Athens,  are  some  extensive  beds  of  marl  which  have 
been  investigated  for  the  Standiford  Portland  Cement  Company  by 
Prof.  Delos  Fall  and  H.  K.  Whitney.  The  results  of  a thorough  sur- 
vey and  a large  series  of  analyses  are  shown  in  the  map  and  tables 
herewith  given.  Mr.  Whitney  says  that  over  one  thousand  sound- 
ings of  same  were  taken,  508  on  land,  96  on  the  shore  line  and  445 
on  the  lakes  when  covered  with  ice. 

“The  bottom  of  lakes,  except  at  mouths  of  cracks  and  in  the  deep- 
est portions  of  the  line  of  flow  is  clear  clean  marl.  At  the  mouths 
of  creeks  and  in  the  deepest  portions  of  Kynion  and  Lehr  Lakes  in 
line  of  flow  it  is  overlain  with  sediment  as  indicated  on  the  large 
map.  It  is  a soft  dark  sediment,  apparently  organic  material,  or 
the  same  mixed  with  marl  and  is  almost  entirely  in  deep  water  and 
outside  the  estimated  240  acres.” 

“A  large  part  of  the  surface  material  (peat,  muck,  etc.)  on  the 
marl  lands  could  readily  be  burned  off  in  time  of  low  water.  Points 
when  it  is  four  feet  deep  are  in  general  two  feet  above  ordinary 
water  level ; some  points  four  or  five  feet  above.  It  is,  however,  quite 
possible  that  it  might  have  value  for  fuel. 

“The  difference  in  water  level  between  the  lakes  (between  Lehr 
and  Kynion  Lakes,  5 meters  between  Kynion  and  Clayton  Lakes  1 
inch),  could  be  readily  eliminated  by  dredging  for  marl.  On  May  9, 
1900,  Clayton  Lake  was  2 feet  4%  inches  above  the  river  at  mouth  of 
outlet  from  lakes  at  time  of  medium  high  water.  At  ordinary  or 
low  water  it  would  be  as  much  as  3 feet.  The  distance  is  miles 


302 


MARL. 


direct  (about  1%  miles  on  the  line  of  the  creek).  For  about  $1,000 
the  water  in  lakes  could  be  lowered  about  1 % to  2 feet,  with  a benefit 
of  about  $1,000  to  the  adjoining  property,  aside  from  marl  beds. 
Then  at  low  water  nearly  all  of  the  surface  material  could  be  burned 
off  from  the  marl  lands,  with  little  trouble  and  at  nominal  expense. 
Similar  large  marshes  in  the  vicinity  have  been  burned  off  below  the 
ordinary  water  level,  accidentally  or  intentionally.” 

The  estimated  acreage  of  marl  with  an  average  depth  of  20  feet  is 
computed  as  follows  by  Mr.  Whitney : 

Acres.  Acres. 

Area  of  lakes  more  than  20  feet  deep 13G 

Area  of  lakes  less  than  20  feet  deep 104 

Total  area  of  lakes 240 

Area  of  land  10  feet  or  more  marl,  4 feet  or 

less  of  surface . 90 

Area  of  land  10  feet  or  more  marl,  4 feet  or 
more  surface  52 


10  to  30  feet  of  marl  (average  20  feet) 142 

5 to  10  feet  of  marl  ( average  7 feet) 33  175 

Area  of  land  and  water 415 

Less  allowance  (possible  error) 15 


400 

For  commercially  available  marl  we  shall  have,  however,  within 
30  feet  of  surface : 

Acres. 


Area  of  land,  10  to  30  feet  thick,  averaging  20  if 

we  neglect  thickness  above  30  feet 142 

Area  in  lakes  to  20  feet  of  water 104 

246 

Less  allowance  for  error 6 


Total  acreage  20  feet  thick 240 

The  33  acres  of  marl  between  5 and  10  feet  thick 
would  be  equivalent  to  10 


Total  250 


Which  would  be  equivalent  to  over  8,000,000  cubic  yards. 

Prof.  Fall  went  over  the  bed  and  took  at  proper  intervals  a series 
of  84  samples,  and  the  analyses  given  in  the  table  annexed  are  of  the 
entire  series  not  omitting  any. 


IASI  OF  LOCALITIES  ANI)  MILLS. 


303 


5AMPLE5  Marl  Beds  of  t he 

STANDIFORD  PORTLAND  CEMENT  CO. 

•fSlTHENS.ffilCH. 

TABLE  S^ou/mg:-  beprh  of  Sample.*.  T)epth  of  Marl,  bepth  and  Ki nd 

of  Surface  Cootr/ny  , efc.,  at  all  point j ,n  said  Marl  Beds  from  which  Samples 
lire-e  taken  for  Chemical  A nalyjii  ■ 

To-  Location  of  Same..  See  Map  [ S+aJion  Mos-  Correspond mef  to  Sample  A/oi.] 
Samples  taken  by 

Delos  Fall.  So  D,  Analytical  Chem.tt,  tlarlan  K Whitne,,.  Surueito'- 

A/b'oh  . Mich.  Qotf-fe  Cn&ck,  M ch 

£,*|5lanatioc  • — — — 

M -Muck 
P = Pent 

G ■"  Grass-roots,  and  loose,  rsart/u 
decaued  UeoitaTion 
W - Water  f />  7 

0 ■ Bottom  of  Mori  fat  depth  Sounded 1. 
+ = No  Boltom 

tl  w Quite  Hard  [•  qiuen] 

28. H ~ Hard  at  28  below  Surface 
Q ~ C/auej  apnearante  at  bottom. 

Sam  file, 
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Surface 

Material 

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Or 

Fig.  28.  Table  of  data  relative  to  the  samples,  the  analyses  of  which  are  given  on  subsequent 
pages.  The  numbers  in  the  second  column  correspond  to  the  Roman  numerals  in  the  second  columns 
of  Figs.  29  and  30.  Soundings  of  Standiford  Portland  Cement  Company  on  Kynion,  Lehr  and  Clay  ter 
lakes.  Sections  4,  5,  8,  9,  16  and  17,  T.  5 S.,  R.  8 W. 


304 


MABL. 


Artalv^ses  of  K^r\lot\,LeKT,a.ndCLa.^tc5>a  Lo_Ke /\Acxrls,T  5 S.,  R.8  W. , 
b'j  Delos  F~cx  11  PK-D.^cxt  tKe  AAcMLllQ.wCKeYm.cal  Louboya-t  o>r^,^lVavo>n. 


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Fig.  29.  Analyses  of  the  Standiford  P.  C.  Co.  marl  by  Delos  Fall.  See  Fig.  28. 


ATHENS,  M!GH. 


Vol.  VIII.  P art  III.  Plate  XX, 


\ 

/ 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


305 


Av\o.l\jS es  of  K ^ mon.LeKr  ani Cla. ^ton  LcxK e/Wa'fU.T^S,  R.8  vs/., 

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\ i9 

3v9 

Fig.  29.  Analyses  of  Fig.  28  continued;  where  ever  in  column  4,  there  are  are  two  sets  of  figures, 
the  upper  is  for  the  total  iron  and  alumina,  the  lower  the  alumina  alone. 

39-Pt.  ! IT. 


306 


MARL. 


The  material  in  every  ease  was  dried  at  100  C.  to  expel  moisture 
and  sampled.  The  tables  give  the  amount  of  each  substance  found 
in  100  parts  of  the  dried  samples.  The  samples  were  taken  with 
apparatus  especially  prepared  for  the  purpose  by  which  it  was 
possible  to  know  accurately  the  depth  from  which  the  samples  came. 
The  average  analysis  is  given  among  the  other  analyses  by  Prof. 
Fall,  page  352,  and  “exclusive  of  organic  matter  the  carbonate  of 
lime  in  these  eightv-four  samples  would  average  93.10$,  a showing 
which  is  remarkably'  high  when  it  is  taken  into  account  the  nearly 
five  per  cent  of  clay  which  the  marl  contains.” 

The  marl  is  also  very  finely  and  evenly  divided. 

One  peculiarity  of  this  bed  to  which  he  calls  attention  is  that 
a small  percentage  of  clay,  ranging  from  two  to  six  per  cent,  is 
found  as  an  admixture  with  the  marl.  This  of  course  would  be  no 
detriment  to  the  quality  of  the  cement,  for  as  he  remarks,  the  per- 
centage of  magnesia  and  sulphuric  acid  are  insignificant. 

Bellaire  Portland  Cement  Co. 

This  company  has  been  but  recently  organized  to  operate  near 
Bellaire,  Antrim  County.  The  conditions  will  be  not  unlike  those  at 
Elk  Rapids.  It  is,  I presume,  a successor  of  the  Lake  Shore  com- 
pany. 

West  German  Portland  Cement  Co. 

Articles  filed  at  Ann  Arbor  Aug.  13,  1902.  Capital  $1,000,000, 
half  preferred.  Object  to  manufacture  cement,  coke  and  peat  in 
Lima  Township.  Linus  E.  Leach  of  Detroit  appears  to  be  chief 
stockholder.  The  marl  beds  are  around  Four  Mile  Lake. 

Locations  reported  by  Douglas  Houghton  Survey. 

The  first  geological  survey  of  the  State  back  in  the  forties,  paid 
considerable  attention  to  the  location  of  marl,  not,  however,  for 
its  value  for  cement,  but  as  a fertilizer,  though  at  that  time  it  was 
also  extensively  used  for  making  quick  lime.  A brief  summary  of 
the  locations  which  they  noticed,  should  be  given  here,  since  the 
reports  in  question  are  not  only  out  of  print,  but  not  easy  to  obtain 
second-hand.  I have  added  foot-notes  calling  attention  to  the  fact, 
when  the  locations  have  since  been  utilized. 

That  marls  were  generally  attributed  t^  shells  may  be  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  the  symbols  used  on  the  maps  to  denote  the 
location  of  marls  was  a small  figure  of  a shell. 

First  Annual  Report,  1838,  H.  D.  No.  4,  pp.  276-317,  No.  14,  pp. 
1-39,  p.  13  or  287,  description  of  Ohara  deposits  pear  Grand  Rapids, 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


307 


in  Saline  Springs;  p.  34  or  306,  northern  part  of  St.  Joseph,*  Monroe 
near  Monroe, f and  Jackson  County.! 

Second  Annual  Report,  1839,  H.  D.  No.  23, 
p.  393,  White  River, 
p.  451, 

p.  464,  Sec.  15,  T.  1 N.,  R.  1 W. 

33  Leslie  township.§ 

35,  T,  2 N.,  R.l  W. 

p.  479,  Sections  2,  4,  5,  8,  22,  27,  Plymouth  Township,  Oakland 
County. 

Sec.  9,  Canton. 

495,  Monroe,  Sections  7 and  9,  T.  6 S.,  R 9 E. 


From  Third  Annual  Report  of  State  Geologist,  p.  94  of  the 
separate  edition. 

MARL  OR  BOG  LIME  AND  TUFA. 

“That  variety  of  the  mineral  which  is  here  designated  by  the 
name  of  marl,  is  chiefly  a carbonate  of  lime,  or  lime  combined  with 
carbonic  acid.  It  is  frequently  argillaceous,  and  mixed  with  earthy 
and  carbonaceous  matters.  Throughout  the  counties  enumerated, 
this  mineral  is  found  only  in  the  gravels,  sands  and  clays  which 
overlie  the  rocks,  and  may  be  defined  as  an  alluvial  deposit  from 
the  waters  which  have  percolated  soils  charged  with  lime.  On 
reaching  the  surface,  the  water  parts  with  a portion  of  its  carbonic 
acid,  arid  becomes  no  longer  capable  of  holding  lime  in  solution, 
which  is  then  deposited  in  the  form  of  a pulverulent,  chalky  sub- 
stance, in  the  beds  of  lakes  or  beneath  the  peat  marshes. 

“As  carbonate  of  lime  is  a constituent  of  the  covering  of  mollus- 
cous animals,  these  circumstances  are  favorable  to  the  collection  of 
great  numbers  of  shells,  so  that  these  not  unfrequently  constitute 
even  the  main  portion  of  the  bed  itself,  which  may  then  receive 
the  name  of  ‘shell  marl.’ 

“That  form  of  lime  which  is  called  tufa,  has  a similar  origin.  It 
differs  in  external  character,  being  hard,  light  and  porous,  and  is 
that  which  is  familiarly  known  as  ‘lioney-comb  lime.’  This  char- 
acteristic difference  is  the  result  of  circumstances,  not  of  composi- 
tion. Tufa  is  formed  in  situations  which  allow  access  of  air,  when  a 
strong  union  of  the  particles  takes  place.  Marl  being  always 
deposited  under  water,  or  beneath  the  peat  of  bogs,  the  surrounding 


*Seep.  312.  1 See  p.  312.  % See  pp.  291,  309,  315. 
§See  p.  316. 


308 


MAUL. 


fluid  prevents  cohesion.  This  condition  is  that  which  is  very  com- 
monly designated  as  bog  lime.” 

p.  95.  “Thus,  according  to  circumstances,  we  find  a variety  of 
forms  assumed  by  these  deposits,  from  a ‘tufaceous  marl,’  in  which 
the  particles  have  but  partially  cohered,  to  a hard  ‘tufa’  or  tra- 
vertin rock,  appearing  as  ledges  in  exposed  hillsides. 

“All  these  recent  fresh  water  limes  exist  in  great  abundance  in 
most  of  the  counties  enumerated,  as  well  as  throughout  the  interior 
of  the  State.  In  the  northern  part  of  Hillsdale,*  and  the  counties 
of  Washtenaw  and  Oakland,  in  particular,  so  extensive  and  uni- 
versally distributed  are  the  beds  of  this  useful  mineral,  that  an 
attempt  to  ascertain  and  enumerate  all  the  places  in  which  it 
exists,  is  unnecessary,  if  not  impossible. 

“But  notwithstanding  its  wide  distribution,  the  uses,  and  even 
the  existence  of  this  mineral  are  so  little  known  or  heeded,  even 
by  those  who  have  most  reason  to  appreciate  its  value,  that  I shall 
adventure  some  remarks  upon  its  application  to  practical  purposes, 
and  the  method  of  ascertaining  its  presence. 

“For  making  quicklime,  the  value  of  marl  and  tufa  is  already 
appreciated  in  those  parts  of  our  State  which,  like  the  counties 
under  review,  are  nearly  destitute  of  lime  rock.  Consequently 
these  have  supplied  the  deficiency,  and  been  applied  to  all  the  pur- 
poses of  the  best  rock  lime.  Though  somewhat  inferior  in  strength, 
the  lime  thus  obtained  is  even  preferred  for  particular  purposes. 
It  is  said,  for  instance,  to  be  preferable  as  a wash,  owing  to  its 
superior  whiteness.  Its  real  value  is  frequently  underrated  from 
its  not  being  sufficiently  burned;  marl  being  erroneously  supposed 
to  require  a less  degree  of  heat  than  limestone. 

“Some  of  the  largest  deposits  of  tufa  I have  met  with  are  formed 
along  the  banks  of  the  Huron  Valley,  between  Ypsilanti  and  Dexter, 
at  several  of  which,  large  quantities  of  lime  are  manufactured. 

“The  circumstances  which  may  give  rise  to  the  formation  of 
either  tufa  or  shell-marl,  where  the  same  source  of  supply  exists, 
are  hereby  exemplified.  Ledges  of  tufa  occupy  the  elevated  sides  of 
the  valley,  while  copious  springs  discharging  from  its  foot,  occasion 
a peat  morass  between  it  and  the  river,  beneath  which  is  a body  of 
soft  marl  several  feet  in  thickness. 

“Impressions  of  leaves  and  branches  of  trees,  and  even  bones 
of  animals,  are  numerous  in  some  portions  of  the  tufa,  these  sub- 
stances have  evidently  served  as  nuclei  around  which  the  particles 
of  lime  were  deposited  from  the  water  of  the  springs,  thus  both 
giving  an  interesting  character  to  the  bed  and  illustrating  its 
formation.” 

p.  98.  “After  this  recommendation  of  marl,  it  may  be  expected 
that  I advise  under  what  circumstances  to  look  for  it.  Marl  is  fre- 
quently to  be  recognized  by  its  light  ash  color,  about  the  margin 
and  occupying  the  shallows  of  lakes.  In  general,  the  marl  which  is 
most  obtainable,  will  be  found  to  be  overlaid  by  peat  or  muck 
of  the  marshes,  often  at  a depth  of  several  feet.  Sometimes  its 
presence,  under  these  circumstances,  is  indicated  by  a slight  coat- 


♦Location  of  Omega  plant. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


309 


ing  of  lime  visible  upon  the  vegetation  on  the  surface.  The  growth 
of  the  marl  bed  often  causes  the  overlying  bog  to  swell  up  into  a 
protuberant  form.  But  such  indications  are  not  always  visible, 
and  then  trial  may  be  made  by  thrusting  down  a pole  or  rod 
through  the  peat,  when  sufficient  of  the  marl,  if  there  be  any,  will 
adhere,  usually,  to  make  known  its  presence. 

“Every  farmer  ought  to  examine  well  his  marshes  with  this 
view,  and  if  there  is  any  reason  to  believe  that  marl  exists  there, 
to  test  the  question  fully  by  digging. 

“It  may  be  advisable  to  raise  the  marl  in  the  fall  and  subject  it 
to  the  action  of  the  winter’s  frost,  in  order  to  bring  it  to  a pulver- 
ized state  previous  to  use  upon  land.” 

p.  55.  “Marl,  which  is  more  universally  distributed  than  any 
other  of  the  calcareous  manures  of  this  district,  and  which  will,  in 
consequence  of  this  fact,  admit  of  a universal  application,  is  in 
itself  more  valuable  for  this  purpose  than  limestone,  since  it  gen- 
erally contains  vegetable  and  animal  matter  in  combination,  and 
its  effects  are  more  immediate.  It  exists  in  a state  of  minute  sub- 
division, and  is  in  a condition  prepared  to  become  directly  a con- 
stituent of  the  soil,  while  it  is  necessary  that  limestone,  as  well  as 
gypsum,  should  first  be  reduced  to  powder.” 


Marl . 

“Deposits  of  marl  were  found  in  nearly  every  town  in  the  coun- 
ties under  consideration,  occurring  in  beds  and  banks  of  lakes  and 
streams,  in  marshes,  as  well  as  occasionally,  on  the  more  elevated 
and  dry  lands,  at  a considerable  distance  from  water. 

“This  latter  position  is  not  unfrequent,  but  marls  found  in  this 
situation,  invariably  show  that  they  occupy  what  has  heretofore 
been  the  bed  of  of  some  lake  or  pool.  Thus  the  marl  does  not 
seem  to  be  confined  to  any  particular  soil  or  geological  position. 

“For  further  particulars,  respecting  the  origin  and  formation  of 
marl,  I refer  you  to  Mr.  Hubbard’s  report.” 


Local  Details  of  Marl.  Jackson  County. 

“Shell-marl  occurs  more  or  less  abundantly  in  the  town  of  Napo- 
leon, on  Sections  12,  14,  15,  and  19,  and  other  deposits  of  minor 
importance  were  also  noticed  in  this  town. 

“In  the  town  of  Columbus,  marl  occurs,  forming  very  extensive 
deposits  in  the  vicinity  of  Clarkes  Lake.  It  also  occurs  abundantly 
on  Sections  8,  9,  13,  19,  28,  and  29,  in  the  same  town.  Several  of 
these  deposits  have  an  area  of  more  than  one  hundred  acres.* 

“Several  very  extensive  beds  of  marl  were  noticed  in  the  (P.  56) 
town  of  Liberty,  on  Sections  11,  13,  23,  24,  and  27,  as  well  as  in  the 
bed  of  Powell’s  Lake  and  its  vicinity. 


♦These  deposits  are  not  far  from  the  Peninsular  plant. 


310 


MARL. 


“The  town  of  Spring  Arbor  abounds  in  extensive  beds  of  marl, 
which  were  more  particularly  noticed  on  Sections  21,  28,  and  29.* 

“ Hanover. — A bed  of  marl  having  an  area  of  more  than  one  hun- 
dred acres,  was  noticed,  forming  a portion  of  the  bed  and  banks  of 
FarwelPs  Lake.  Inexhaustible  deposits  of  shell  and  tufaceous 
marl  occur  near  a lake  which  forms  the  head  of  Kalamazoo  River.f 

“Town  of  Sandstone. — Marl  is  not  unfrequently  met  with  in  mak- 
ing excavations  in  the  marshes  in  this  town.  It  was  noticed  near  the 
village  of  Barry,  and  also  on  the  farm  of  Hon.  Mr.  Gridley. 

“Pulaski. — Marl  occurs  in  abundance  in  many  of  the  lakes  and 
marshes  of  this  town.  A very  extensive  bed  of  shell  and  tufaceous 
marl  was  noticed  on  the  farm  of  Isaac  N.  Swain,  Sec.  2,  occupying 
an  area  of  more  than  60  acres,  and  having  a thickness  exceeding 
six  feet.  An  extensive  bed  was  also  noticed  on  Section  25. 

“Rives. — A somewhat  extensive  deposit  of  marl  occurs  on  Section 
9. 

“Leoni. — Marl,  in  inexhaustible  quantities,  occurs  near  the  outlet 
of  Wolf  Lake,  and  also  upon  Sections  4,  11,  12,  22,  and  23. 

“Town  of  Jackson. — Marl  occurs  in  this  town,  in  abundance,  on 
Sections  20,  21,  26,  27,  and  31  (town  3 south,  range  7 west),  and  also 
on  Section  31  (town  2 south,  range  1 west). 

“Concord. — Several  extensive  beds  of  marl  occur  in  this  town 
which  were  more  particularly  examined  on  Sections  8 and  9.  Also 
in  the  bed  and  banks  of  the  Kalamazoo  River. 

“Grass  Lake. — On  Sections  13  and  29, % in  this  town,  extensive 
beds  of  shell-marl  were  examined. 

“Springport. — An  extensive  bed  of  marl  occurs  on  Section  15. 

“Tompkins. — An  extensive  bed  of  shell-marl  was  examined  on  Sec- 
tion 17,  in  this  town.” 

Eaton  County. 

p.  57.  “Kalamo. — Several  very  extensive  beds  of  marl  were  ob- 
served on  Sections  22  and  25  (town  2 north,  range  6 west),  and  on 
Sections  19  (range  5 west).” 


Kalamazoo  County. 

“Texas. — Shell  and  tufaceous  marl  occur  in  beds  of  several  lakes 
in  this  town.  Also  on  Sections  31  and  32  of  the  same  town,  is  an 
extensive  deposit  of  this  mineral. 

“Alamo. — On  Sections  1,  9,  12,  and  24,  extensive  beds  of  marl  were 
examined. 

“Cooper. — Marl  is  not  unfrequently  met  with  in  the  alluvial  lands 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Kalamazoo  River. 

“Ross. — Marl  was  noticed  in  several  of  the  lakes  and  marshes  of 
this  town. 

*This  is  the  location  of  the  Pyramid  Portland  Cement  Co.;  the  Peerless  have  recently 
bought  beds  here. 

tThese  deposits  are  not  far  from  the  Omega  plant. 

^Location  of  the  Zenith  plant. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


311 


“Kalamazoo. — Tufaceous  and  shell-marls  occur  in  a large  marsh 
and  in  the  valley  of  a small  stream  northwest  from  the  village  of 
Kalamazoo.* 

“Chester. — Extensive  deposits  of  marl  abound  in  this  town,  on  Sec- 
tions 4,  9,  10,  11,  12,  and  24.” 

Calhoun  County. 

“Marl  occurs  at  intervalsf  through  this  county  in  the  alluvial 
lands  of  the  Kalamazoo  River,  and  pebbles  and  boulders  are  not 
unfrequentlv  seen  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  incrusted  with  a thick 
coat  of  tufaceous  marl. 

“Milton. — Marl  was  observed  in  this  town  on  the  farm  of  Hon.  S. 
McCamly.  It  also  occurs  in  several  of  the  small  lakes  and  streams. 

“Marengo. — Marl  is  not  of  very  frequent  occurrence  in  this  town. 
An  extensive  bed  was  observed  on  Sections  1 and  2. 

“Marl  was  observed  in  the  town  of  Marshall , near  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Pierce’s  mills.  Also,  in  comparatively  small  quantity,  in  the  low- 
lands between  the  village  of  Marshall  and  the  Kalamazoo  River.” 

Kent  County. 

p.  58.  “Town  0 North,  Range  2 West.  Tufa  occurs  in  this  town- 
ship in  the  bed  of  the  Flat  River,  on  Section  26,  in  a very  extensive 

deposit.^ 

“Marl  was  observed  on  Sections  3 and  8,  Township  6 north,  Range 
12  west. 

“Extensive  deposits  of  sliell-marl  occur  on  Sections  22  and  23, 
township  7 north,  range  10  west. 

“Marl  was  examined  in  township  8 north,  range  11  west,  on  Sec- 
tions 13  and  14,  in  a dry  burr  oak  plain.” 

Ionia  County. 

il  Tufaceous J marl  occurs  in  inexhaustible  quantities  in  the  vicinity 
of  Lyon,  town,  Maple  P.  O.  Incrusted  in  some  portions  of  the  tufa, 
are  quantities  of  leaves,  recent  shells,  and  in  one  instance  have 
been  found  the  vertebra  and  other  remains  of  a large  snake. 

“Marl  occurs  on  Section  1,  township  6 north,  range  5 west;  its 
extent  unknown. 

“Extensive  beds  of  shell  and  tufaceous  marl  exist  near  Mr. 
Dexter’s  mill  in  the  village  of  Ionia.  Also,  in  the  bed  and  banks 
of  several  of  the  small  streams  west  of  Ionia  village. 

“Extensive  beds  of  marl  occur  on  Sections  10,  11  and  22,  township 
8 north,  range  8 wesL 

“This  abstract  of  the  locations  of  this  valuable  mineral  only  in- 
cludes some  of  the  most  extensive  deposits.  It  is  sufficient,  how- 


*Probably  the  site  of  the  original  Portland  cement  plant. 

+Six  places  are  noted  on  the  map  issued  by  the  Douglass  Houghton  Survey. 
iThis  is  tufa  and  not  the  bog  lime  desired  by  cement  plants. 


312 


MARL. 


ever,  to  render  it  apparent  that  marl  is  distributed  in  sufficient 
abundance  to  afford  a ready  supply  for  use  as  a manure,  as  also  for 
the  manufacture  of  quick  lime.  It  is  within  the  reach  of  every  man 
to  obtain  this  restorative  for  his  soils  or  a lime  for  economical  pur- 
poses; an  article  of  which  otherwise  much  of  the  country  would  be 
nearly  destitute.” 

p.  73  (Report  of  C.  C.  Douglass). 

The  great  profusion  in  which  the  deposit  is  distributed  through 
the  counties  of  VanBuren,  Allegan,  and  Ottawa,  is  deemed  a 
sufficient  reason  for  noticing  a few  of  the  most  extensive  deposits. 

On  Sections  20  and  21,  half  a mile  norther  st  from  Mr.  Newell’s 
steam  mill,  on  Maskego  Lake,  is  a very  extensive  deposit  of  shell- 
marl  that  may  be  profitably  used  as  a manure  on  the  sandy  lands 
of  that  vicinity. 

Extensive  deposits  of  shell  and  tufaceous  marl  occur  in  the 
valley  of  the  Kalamazoo  River,  on  Sections  9,  10,  16  and  17,  township 
3 north,  range  15  west,  of  more  than  one  hundred  acres.  Also  on 
Sections  16  and  17,  township  4 north,  range  16  west,  there  is  a de- 
posit of  shell  and  tufaceous  marl  occupying  the  area  of  more  than 
seventy-five  acres. 

A very  extensive  deposit  of  marl  was  examined  on  Sections  16 
and  17,  township  3 north,  range  13  wTest.  Some  of  the  portions  of 
this  marl  are  found  to  contain  too  much  iron  ore  to  make  good  quick- 
lime. Care  should  therefore  be  had  in  selecting  that  portion  of  the 
marl  which  is  free  from  this  mineral. 

On  Sections  13  and  14,  township  2 south,  range  13  west,  marl  of  a 
good  quality  occurs. 

Fourth  Annual  Report,  1811,  p.  104,  marl  and  peat,  p.  122,  marl 
and  peat. 


The  remaining  references  to  minor,  or  at  least  not  extensively 
exploited  deposits,  will  be  arranged  according  to  counties,  proceed- 
ing east  and  north  from  Monroe  County. 

Locations  arranged  by  comities. 

1.  (68)  Monroe  County. — The  marl  deposits  referred  to  by  the 
Douglass  Houghton  Survey  above  have  been  also  described  by  Sher- 
zer  in  his  recent  report  on  the  county.*  He  lists : Claim  422,  the 
largest;  claim  161;  claim  520  ( ?)  ; S.  E.  quarter  of  Sec.  24,*  Summer- 
field;  Sec.  7 of  Exeter;  Sec.  9 of  Ash;  Sec.  9 of  London. 

A good  sample  of  marl  taken  from  along  the  line  of  the  Detroit 
and  Lima  Northern  was  sent  in  by  C.  A.  Chambers,  in  September, 
1898. 

2.  (67)  Lenawee  County. — Marl  has  been  reported  two  miles 
from  Britton,  Deerfield  township,  which  is  probably  calcareous 
clay  and  not  bog  lime. 


*Vol.  VII,  Part  I,  p.  200.  “No  large  beds  of  this  substance  are  known  to  occur.” 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


313 


In  the  extreme  northwest  corner  we  have  the  Peninsular  plant, 
and  there  is  a good  deal  of  bog  lime  in  this  region,  e.  g.,  Lowe’s 
Lake,  T.  5S.,R.  3E. 

3.  (66)  Hillsdale  County. — Besides  the  deposits  of  the  Omega 
plant  there  is  said  to  be  a bed  of  bog  lime  11  to  28  feet  thick  at 
Nettle  Lake,  just  south  of  Camden.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
examined  by  Mr.  Hunter  of  Philadelphia. 

Another  bed  is  near  Reading.  It  belongs  to  the  Monolith  Port- 
land Cement  Co.,  whose  officers  are  L.  McCoy  of  Battle  Creek,  presi- 
dent ; M.  H.  Lane  of  Kalamazoo  and  I.  P.  Baldwin,  vice-presidents ; 
H.  T.  Harvey  of  Battle  Creek,  secretary;  G.  B.  Tompkins  of  Sturgis 
is  treasurer. 

Another  deposit  is  at  Sand  Lake,  three  and  one-half  miles  west  of 
Hillsdale,  Sec.  1,  T.  6 S1.,  R.  3 W. 

4.  (65)  Branch  County. — The  plants  of  this  county  have  already 
been  described  by  Mr.  Hale,  and  in  connection  with  factories.  The 
county  is  very  rich  in  bog  lime.  See  the  descriptions  of  the  plants  at, 
and  visits  to,  Quincy,  Coldwater,  Bronson,  Union  City. 

Still  other  factories  are  planned  at  Helmer  on  the  Fort  Wayne 
branch  of  the  L.  S.  & M.  S.  R.  R.  and  just  west  of  Coldwater  on  the 
river. 

5.  (64)  St.  Joseph  County. — Marl  beds  near  Sturgis  have  been 
tested  by  the  same  people  interested  in  Bristol  and  Turkey  Lakes, 
Indiana. 

6.  (63)  Cass  County. — Near  Yandalia  at  Donald’s  Lake,  Sections 
31  and  32,  T.  6 S.,  R.  1 W,  is  said  to  be  a large  deposit,  in  some 
places  over  25  feet  deep. 

Near  Dowagiac,  just  north  of  town,  in  the  lowlands  of  this  old 
glacial  drainage  valley,  is  bog  lime.  It  is  said  that  there  are  600 
acres,  running  from  18  to  28  feet  in  depth,  with  a percentage  of 
from  75  to  84$  calcium  carbonate. 

Near  Niles,  beside  the  bed  described  by  Mr.  Hale,*  on  the  farm 
of  R.  A.  Walton,  within  half  a mile  of  the  C.  C.  C.  and  St.  L.  R.  R. 
is  said  to  be  a large  bed  of  marl  of  excellent  quality,  along  a small 
stream.  Marl  was  also  found  with  mastodon  bones  near  here. 

Harwood  Lake  on  the  St.  Joseph  county  line,  about  10  miles  from 
Constantine,  is  said  to  be  surrounded  by  bog  lime.  The  circumfer- 
ence is  about  2 miles  and  the  depth  in  one  place  over  50  feet.  The 
owner  is  W.  W.  Harvey  of  Constantine.  He  also  owns  a 200  acre 
bed  near  Bair  Lake,  Sec.  5,  T.  6 S.,  R.  13  W. 


*Page  107. 


40-Pt.  Ill 


314 


MARL . 


7.  (62)  Berrien  County. — As  mentioned  on  p.  154  by  Mr.  Hale, 
bog  lime  occurs  in  the  marshes  near  Benton  Harbor. 

8.  (61)  Van  Buren  County. — There  is  marl  in  Secs.  13  and  14,  T. 
2 S.,  R.  13  W. 

9.  (60)  Kalamazoo  County. — This  is  the  county  where  cement 
was  first  manufactured,  as  already  described  by  Mr.  Hale,*  and 
Kalamazoo  has  been  quite  a headquarters  for  such  enterprises. 
(Indiana  Portland  Cement  Company,  Kalamazoo  Portland  Cement 
Company.)  Beside  the  old  site  and  the  Hope  township  regions 
described  by  Mr.  Hale  there  are : 

Sugar  Loaf  Lake,  southeast  of  Schoolcraft,  T.  4 S.,  R.  12  W. 

Mud  Lake  north  of  Schoolcraft.  ‘ 

Vicksburg,  T.  4 S.,  R.  11  AY.  Around  Vicksburg  in  Kalamazoo 
County  there  are  lakes  with  abundant  marl,  and  directly  west  is  a 
shaking  bog  (bog  lime)  where  the  Grand  Trunk  has  had  much 
difficulty  in  maintaining  grade.  The  neighborhood  is  heavily 
covered  with  drift  with  a good  deal  of  sand. 

Near  Climax,  “100  acres  with  20  feet  of  marl.” 

10.  (59)  Calhoun  County. — Homer  Lake  on  the  farm  of  H.  O. 
Cook,  and  under  the  lake  and  under  120  acres  of  the  marsh  is  bog 
lime  varying  from  10  to  30  feet  in  depth.  This  bed  lies  west  of  the 
town,  and  there  is  said  to  be  a bed  of  greater  area  around  Kesslar’s 
Lakes  north  of  town. 

As  mentioned  in  the  early  reports  there  are  also  marl  beds  of  size 
in  Eckford  township. 

Near  the  north  line  of  the  county,  close  to  Bellevue  at  Mud  Lake 
are  large  deposits.  See  Eaton  County.  Also  in  Convis  township, 
on  Kinyon  Lake  (the  Creed  farm),  is  a bed. 

On  the  Torrey  farm  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Albion  is  a 
small  bed  of  marl,  said  to  be  about  25  acres,  at  the  center  over  17 
feet  deep,  and  shallowing  gradually  to  the  edges,  and  covered  by  a 
foot  or  two  of  earth  (muck).  This  is  an  ideal  of  a complete  and  as 
Mr.  Hale  calls  it  sealed  bed. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


315 


Tlie  analysis  by  W.  H.  Simmons  was  as  follows: 


Silica 00.70  00.82 

Iron  and  Aluminum  oxides 1.71  1.86 

Calcium  as  carbonate  87.57  95.18 

Magnesia  no  trace. 

Sulphurous  anhydride  .20  .22 

Organic  matter 7.91 

Difference 1.85  1.92 


Total  100.00  100.00 


It  is  suggested  that  this  was  taken  so  near  the  surface  as  to  con- 
tain an  unusual  amount  of  organic  matter.  The  second  set  of 
figures  is  referred  to  marl  free  from  organic  matter. 

11.  (58)  Jackson  County. — There  is  said  to  be  a bed,  2.5  feet 
thick,  of  white  marl  underlain  by  one  of  blue  marl,  on  the  farm  of  J. 
Dooley  and  neighbors,  almost  a mile  long,  about  six  miles  northeast 
of  Albion. 

The  bed  in  Rives  township  mentioned  by  the  early  survey  is  ex- 
tensive, and  has  recently  been  tested  somewhat. 

The  Michigan  Portland  Cement  Co.,  a forerunner  of  the  Wolverine 
is  said  to  have  contracted  for  about  4,000  acres  around  Portage 
Lake,  which  lies  in  an  old  glacial  drainage  channel,  surrounded  by 
extensive  swamps,  and  to  have  planned  a private  railroad  striking 
the  Michigan  Central  at  Munith. 

A bed  of  bog  lime  is  reported  near  Kelley’s  Corners.  Also  four 
miles  from  Jackson. 

12.  (57)  Washtenaw  County.- — Four-mile  Lake,  between  Chelsea 
and  Dexter,  on  the  line  between  T.  1 and  2 S.,  and  in  Range  4 E.  is 
surrounded  by  bog  lime.  It  is  said  to  average  36  feet  deep  of  bog 
lime,  96^  calcium  carbonate.  About  1,000  acres  are  said  to  have 
been  secured,  $20,000  having  been  paid  for  200  acres  of  land. 

Marl  is  also  reported  from  Mill  Lake,  J.  H.  Runciman,  owner. 

Near  Ypsilanti  is  said  to  be  a bed  of  75  acres,  12  feet  thick,  under 
2 feet  of  stripping. 

On  Sec.  12,  T.  2 S.,  R.  6 E.,  is  a small  bed  of  25  acres  and  others 
similar  near  by.  Such  beds  are  very  common. 

13.  (56)  Wayne  County. — Wayne  County  is  not  likely  to  contain 
much  bog  lime  except  perhaps  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner. 

14.  (55)  Macomb  County. — The  same  remarks  apply  to  Macomb 
County. 


316 


MARL. 


15.  (54)  Oakland  County. — This  county  being  high,  and  early 
uncovered  by  the  ice,  and  full  of  old  lines  of  glacial  drainage,  and 
deep  holes  occupied  by  glacial  lakes,  probably  contains  much  bog 
lime, — more  than  has  been  reported. 

W.  A.  Brotherton  says  that  there  is  marl  40  feet  above  the  stream 
on  Stony  Creek,  near  Rochester.  Large  deposits  are  reported  near 
Clarkston. 

I.  J.  Hiller  is  said  to  have  a bed  of  75  to  100  acres. 

A small  bed  of  20  acres  and  6 feet  deep  is  reported  at  Bloomfield 
Center,  with  others  near  by. 

The  beds  near  Holly  have  already  been  referred  to  in  connection 
with  the  Egyptian  P.  C.  Co. 

16.  (53)  Livingston  County. — Near  Brighton  and  only  a mile 
from  the  R.  R.  are  marl  beds  of  about  100  acres  and  average  depth 
of  about  12  feet.  Lime  Lake,  Sec.  36,  T.  2 N.,  R.  5 E. 

West  of  South  Lyon  in  Green  Oak  township  are  also  some  bog 
lime  deposits. 

Two  miles  north  of  Oak  Grove  is  a bed  of  bog  lime,  on  land 
belonging  to  Pierce  Elwell  and  others,  on  the  line  of  the  Ann 
Arbor  R.  R.  There  are  other  beds  on  the  Ann  Arbor  line  north  of 
Howell. 

The  deposits  around  Hamburg  and  Lakelands,  have  been  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  Standard  Portland  Cement  Co.  There 
are  said  to  be  over  1,600  acres  of  land  underlain  by  bog  lime,  which 
in  places  is  60  feet  deep. 

17.  (52)  Ingham  County. — There  are  beds  of  bog  lime  near 
Leslie,  one  located  by  H.  C.  Barden. 

Analysis  of  a Leslie  marl  is  as  follows: 


Silica  and  alumina,  oxides 2.60 

Ferric  oxide  2.25 

Calcium  as  carbonate 72.20 

Magnesium  as  carbonate 85 

Organic  matter 12. 

Water 10. 


Total 


09.90 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


317 


There  is  also  a small  bed  covering  about  15  acres,  in  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Sec.  24,  Vevay,  T.  2 N.,  R.  1 W.,  belonging  to 
Chester  Dolbee.  It  is  now  cut  through  by  a stream.  On  the  north 
side  Mr.  W.  F.  Cooper  found  6 inches  muck,  18  inches  marl  to  sand 
and  gravel;  then  20  steps  south-southwest,  near  center  of  marsh, 
and  gravel ; then  twenty  steps  south-southwest,  near  center  of  marsh, 
9 inches  muck ; and  over  5 feet  marl,  without  reaching  bottom.  Here 
the  marl  was  quite  white  and  pure:  northwest  of  this  hole  a sample 
full  of  shells  was  taken.  In  general  immediately  beneath  the 
muck  it  was  full  of  shells,  and  deeper  down,  became  a sludge. 
Under  the  microscope  Chara  material  appears  to  be  abundant. 

18.  (51)  Eaton  County. — On  the  line  between  Eaton  and  Cal- 
houn Counties,  three  miles  from  Bellevue,  there  is  said  to  be  a bed 
of  bog  lime  of  over  four  hundred  acres,  and  an  average  depth  of 
20  feet.  In  places  it  is  37  feet  deep  and  there  is  but  one  to  two  feet 
of  water  above  it. 

There  is  said  to  be  a suitable  clay  immediately  adjacent. 

Around  Lacey’s  Lake,  Kalamo  township,  T.  2K,  R.  6 W.,  is  said 
to- be  a large  bed  of  bog  lime  in  places  20  feet  thick. 

19.  (50)  Barry  County. — Mr.  Hale  has  described  quite  fully  the 
deposits  at  Cloverdale  in  Hope  township. 

Near  Prairieville,  the  township  southwest,  the  bog  lime  deposits 
exist,  but  are  said  not  to  be  enough  to  start  a cement  plant  upon. 

To  the  west  at  Fish  Lake,  near  Orangeville,  there  are  extensive 
deposits  of  very  good  quality  as  shown  by  Prof.  Fall’s  analyses. 
There  are  200  acres  or  more  of  an  average  depth  of  perhaps  20  feet. 
There  is  from  0 to  2.5  feet  of  peat  stripping  on  top.  The  deepest 
marl  appears  to  be  often  close  to  the  water’s  edge.  Though  a good 
bed  it  is  over  four  miles  from  the  railroad. 

Just  north  in  Gun  Lake,  between  towns  2 and  3 N.,  K.  11  W.,  the 
relation  between  the  thickness  of  the  marl  and  the  depth  of  water 
is  shown  by  the  following  table  of  soundings. 


‘Chapter  VI,  pp.  107  to  131. 


318 


MARL. 


Depth  of  water. 

Of  marl. 

Remarks. 

4 

10 

3.5 

4.5 

500  feet  from  the  previous  sounding. 

5 

27 

No  bottom,  edge  of  deeper  water. 

3.5 

5 

20 

25  feet  from  shore. 

5 

1 to  4 

North  end  of  the  west  lake,  bottom  gravel. 

4 

9 

3 

2 

3 

3 

4 

2 to  4 

7 

12 

8 

17 

8 

Sand  at  31  feet. 

7.5 

22.5 

3 

3 

Gravel  bottom. 

e 

r 

It  is  obvious  that  the  deeper  water  does  not  always  have  the 
deeper  marl. 

A little  farther  north.  Cobb  Lake,  Sections  5 and  8,  and  Barlow 
Lake,  Sections  7 and  18  contain  bog  lime  (said  to  be  93$  calcium 
carbonate). 

21.  (48)  Ottawa  County. — A sample  of  marl  from  the  Lake 

Shore  west  of  Grand  Rapids  gave  W.  M.  Courtis,  M.  E.  the  following 
results: 

(The  sample  loses  6.376$  of  water  and  volatile  hydrocarbon  when 


dried  at  100°.) 

The  dried  marl  contains : 

i 

Organic  matter  0.790$ 

Combined  with  water  less  organic  matter  as 

above 0.235$ 

Silica  (no  sand)  2.528$ 

Tricalcic  phosphate 0.150$ 

Chlorine  as  sodium  chloride. 0.119$ 

Alumina  and  a little  iron 0.432$ 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 1.250$ 

Carbonate  of  lime  to  balance 94.496$ 

Sulphur  none 


100.000$ 

20.  (49)  Allegan  County. 

22..  (47)  Kent  County. — Beside  a number  of  marl  beds  in  the 
north  part  of  the  county  around  Cedar  Springs,  which  have  been 
in  part  described  by  Mr.  Hale,  and  the  insignificant  deposits  de- 
scribed in  the  Douglass  Houghton  reports,  there  are  other  large 
deposits.  Mr.  Nellist  reports  13  deposits  many  of  them  first  rate, 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS . 


319 


though  not  convenient.  The  largest  he  says  is  in  Wabsis  Lake, 
which  is  in  some  places  over  100  feet  deep  (T.  9 N.,  R.  9 W.).  An 
analysis  by  A.  N.  Clark  gave: 


Calcium  as  carbonate 90.30 

Magnesia  as  carbonate 3.21 

Alumina  and  ferric  oxide 0.73 

Insoluble  in  HC1,  mainly  sand.  . . 0.94 

Difference,  organic  matter  and  water 4.82 


Total 100.00 


Lamberton  Lake,  Grass  Lake,  in  Cannon  township,  and  Crooked 
Lake  all  contain  marl. 

There  is  also  marl  in  a lake  on  Section  21,  Grattan  Township,  in 
two  little  lakes  on  Section  8,  Cascade  Township,  and  in  small  quan- 
tities on  Sections  9 and  15,  Wyoming  Township. 

The  following  is  an  analysis  of  a Kent  County  marl  from  near 
Cedar  Springs  controlled  by  Stewart  and  Barker  of  Grand  Rapids. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  No.  1 is  an  analysis  of  the  fresh  Avet  marl,  of 
A\diich  \\Te  have  very  few,  almost  all  the  analyses  being  figured  to 
dry  marl,  or  being  made  on  specimens  already  pretty  well  air  dried. 


1 2 

Insolubles  (silica  or  sand) 00.30  00.42 

Iron  and  Alumina .30  .42 

Calcium  as  carbonate 67.66  95.04 

Ma  gnesia  as  carbonate  . . 1.67  2.34 

Soda  and  loss  of  dry  material 1.27  1.78 

Water  and  organic  matter 28.80 


Total 100.00  100.00 


The  second  set  of  figures  are  as  bog  lime  analyses  are  often  given, 
and  show  that  this,  except  for  possibly  too  much  organic  matter  is 
a A1 * * * * * 7ery  good  specimen  indeed.  The  stripping  or  top  layer  contains 
much  more  organic  matter, — up  to  38^.  See  also  Mr.  Hale’s  de- 
scriptions in  Chapter  VI,  § 4. 

23.  (46)  Ionia  County. — Jordan  Lake  near  Lake  Odessa,  is  sur- 

rounded by  extensive  beds  of  bog  lime,  which  extend  into  Barry 
County.  The  lake  lies  on  the  line.  The}T  are  convenient  to  the 
P.  M.  R.  R. 


320 


MARL. 


Mud  Lake  just  west  of  South  Lyons  also  contains  bog  lime. 

There  is  also  said  to  be  some  near  Muir. 

24.  (45)  Clinton  County. — In  the  Chandler  marsh  three  and  a 
half  miles  north  of  Lansing,  T.  5 N.,  R.  2 W.,  there  is  marl,  i.  e.,  bog 
lime,  as  reported  by  F.  R.  Singlehurst. 

Merle  Beach,  significantly  named,  on  Muskrat  Lake,  T.  6 N.,  R.  2 
W.,  has  also  deposits  of  bog  lime  over  quite  a large  area  under 
about  a foot  of  peat  muck. 

25.  (44)  Shiawassee  County. — Marl  is  reported  right  at  Owosso 
in  the  Abley  Addition,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Owosso  town- 
ship. Also  in  the  Maple  River  flats  marl  is  reported  in  some  places 
over  1G  feet  thick.  Over  in  Gratiot  County  around  Bannister,  Mr. 
Davis  and  I did  not  find  any  marl  along  the  Ann  Arbor  R.  R.  in 
the  extensive  marshes  there. 

A deposit  is  also  reported  on  the  farms  of  M.  Carey,  R.  F.  Kay 
and  J.  G.  Marsh,  in  Woodhull  township. 

26.  (43)  Genesee  County. — A number  of  deposits  in  this  county 
have  already  been  described  in  connection  with  the  Detroit, 
Egyptian,  and  Twentieth  Century  Portland  Cement  plants. 

Holden  and  Buell  Lakes,  Thetford  township,  T.  9 N.,  R.  7 E. 

Mud  Lake,  Arbela  township,  T.  10  N.,  R.  7 E. 

Marl  properties  around  the  above  lakes  were  gathered  together 
by  Fred  C.  Zimmerman  and  R.  Adams  of  Saginaw.  “It  appears 
that  the  depth  of  the  deposit  is  anywhere  from  10  to  30  feet  and 
deeper.  In  Holden  (Sec.  3)  and  Buell  (Sec.  2)  Lakes,  where  the 
water  is  shalloAv,  it  can  be  seen  in  large  quantities.  All  these  lake 
beds  consist  of  extraordinarily  pure  marl  beds  of  unusual  depth 
and  such  consistency  that  it  can  be  pumped  from  the  bottom. 

“Analysis  of  the  material  taken  from  these  deposits  made  at  the 
Ohio  State  University,  gives  the  following: 


Carbonate  of  lime 89.39 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 1.95 

Silica  6.29 

Iron  and  alumina .99 

Organic  matter  1.00 


99.62” 

The  silica  is  too  high  if  this  is  a fair  sample  of  the  marls,  which 
I doubt. 


Geological  Survey ^of  Michigan.  Vol.  VIII.  Part  IIL  Plate  XXL 


SILVER  LAKE  MARL  BEDS, 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


321 


27.  (42)  Lapeer  County. — In  the  Annual  Report  for  1901,  Mr. 
F.  B.  Taylor  says : 

“There  is  a considerable  quantity  of  marl  in  the  county,  and 
localities  so  far  determined  are  shown  upon  the  map.  None  of 
them,  so  far  as  learned,  are  of  large  enough  extent  to  form  a basis 
of  cement  works  in  the  present  stage  of  this  industry.  No  beds 
have  yet  been  found  having  an  extent  of  over  100  acres.  Because 
of  their  present  unavailability  mainly,  the  marls  found  have  not 
been  tested  thoroughly  to  determine  their  suitableness  for  cement. 
The  largest  swamps  in  the  county  in  the  eastern  and  northeastern 
parts,  appear  not  to  yield  marl.  Marl  was  formerly  burned  for  lime 
in  several  parts  of  the  county,  most  notably  in  southwestern  Had- 
ley, and  southeastern  North  Branch  townships.  There  is  marl  near 
Orion.” 

28.  (41)  St.  Clair  County. — This  county  may  have  a few  small 
beds  of  bog  lime  in  the  western  part  but  none  have  been  reported. 

29.  (40)  Sanilac  County. — This  county  was  reported  in  Yol.  VII 
of  our  reports.  Marl  probably  underlies  a good  many  of  the  swamps, 
such  as  the  “Stone  wall  swamp,”  in  the  western  part  of  the  county. 
Some  beds  have  been  tested  by  Cass  City  parties  and  are  believed 
to  be  extensive  enough  to  work.  Their  proximity  to  the  fine  shale 
exposures  of  the  Lake  Huron  shore  in  Huron  and  Sanilac  Counties 
might  be  a point  in  their  favor. 

30.  (39)  Huron  County. — Deposits  of  marl  are  described  in  Vol. 
VII,  and  may  be  sought  from  Mud  Lake  northeast  to  Bad  Axe  and 
east  to  Parisville.  It  is  not  likely,  however,  that  there  are  any  very 
extensive  deposits. 

31.  (38)  Tuscola  County.- — Mud  Lake  in  Arbela  township  has 
been  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  deposits  in  Thetford  town- 
ship, Genesee  County,  just  south. 

Near  Cass  City  there  are  said  to  be  big  beds  of  marl  10  feet  or 
more  thick.  Shale  clays  can  probably  also  be  obtained  in  this 
region,  as  there  are  exposures  of  the  Michigan  series.  An  an- 
alysis of  the  marl  by  Prof.  Kedzie  runs : 


Insolubles  (silica)  24 

Oxides  of  iron  and  alumina .14 

Calcium  oxide  (as  carbonate  94.32) 52.82 

Magnesium  oxide  (as  carbonate  2.56) 1.25 

Carbon  dioxide 39.16 

Difference,  organic,  etc.,  (2.72) 6.39 


Total  : 100.00 

41-Pt.  Ill 


322 


MAUL. 


The  variation  in  the  items  of  difference  shows  how  much  of  the 
lime  is  combined  as  sulphate  or  with  an  organic  acid. 

32.  (37)  Saginaw  County.—*- There  is  probably  no  bog  lime,  i.  e., 

what  the  cement  companies  call  marl,  in  Saginaw  County,  beyond 
possibly  a few  inches  in  swampy  hollows. 

What  has  been  reported  as  marl,  like  that  on  the  Prairie  farm,  is 
clay  marl, — and  only  an  ordinary  surface  clay  free  from  grit.  For 
instance,  E.  Wetzel  opened  a bed  of  clay  at  ZilwaUkee,  eight  feet 
down  and  about  twelve  feet  thick,  which  gave  H.  &.  W.  Heim  on 
analysis: 


Top. 

Bottom. 

Silica  and  alumina 

65.1 

63.75 

Calcium  carbonate 

20.4 

20.9 

Difference 

14.5 

15.35 

Total  

100.00 

100.00 

33.  (36)  Gratiot  County. — Five  miles  west  of  Alma  is  a small 
bed  of  30  acres  from  4 to  16  feet  deep. 

Cedar  Lake  District. 

34.  (35)  Montcalm  County. — Montcalm  County  is  full  of  lakes, 
many  of  them  containing  more  or  less  marl.  The  neighborhood  of 
Cedar  Lake,  a few  miles  east  of  Alma,  shows  an  interesting  variety 
of  occurrence  of  marl  and  has  been  somewhat  investigated,  as 
shown  by  Fig.  31  and  the  following  description : 

Bass  Lake  occupies  a hollow  in  the  sands.  The  shore  is  sandy 
and  there  is  no  outlet.  Rock  Lake  is  similar  but  the  surroundings 
are  somewhat  more  gravelly.  Marl  Lake  has  already  been  re- 
ferred to  by  Mr.  Davis.*  The  water  is  pure,  milky  white,  and  this 
he  attributed  to  the  fact  that  there  is  a bench  about  100  yards 
wide  of  pure  marl  around  the  lake  over  which  the  water  is  shallow, 
from  two  feet  down.  There  is  no  peat  covering  over  this  bed. 
This  we  notice  in  the  diagram  of  soundings  (Fig.  31),  and  we  notice 
too  that  soundings  5,  9 and  13  outside  the  shore  of  the  lake  show  no 
marl. 

Mr.  Jno.  Webster’s  estimate  of  marl  on  this  lake  is  of  marl  12  feet 
thick,  100  yards  wide,  over  a circumference  of  5,186  feet,  i.  e., 
6,220,800  cubic  feet.  It  is  quite  likely  that  there  is  twTo  or  three 
times  as  much  as  this. 

On  the  other  hand,  about  Cedar  Lake,  which  is  slightly  higher, 
the  conditions  are  entirely  different.  The  marl  is  covered  with  peat 


*Page  83. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


323 


and  at  the  edge,  which  is  the  margin  of  the  lake,  drops  off  to  30  feet 
depth  very  rapidly.  The  peat  varies,  as  we  see  in  the  diagram  of 
soundings,  from  one  to  five  feet  thick,  being  generally  about  three 
feet  thick. 

The  land  south  of  the  railroad  rises  rapidly  175  feet  or  more,  and 
the  lake  lies  in  a valley  in  the  till.  As  bearing  on  the  origin  of  the 
marl,  it  is  worth  noting  that  an  upward  pressure  of  the  ground 
water  is  shown  by  three  ffowing  wells  on  the  road  from  the  station 
to  the  lake,  which  penetrate  the  drift  to  a depth  of  48  feet.  The 


Fig.  31.  Sketch  map  of  the  lakes  near  Cedar  Lake  Station  of  the 
Pere  Marquette  R.  R.,  T.  10  N.,  R.  5 and  6 W. 

temperature  of  these  wells  is  for  the  first  one  49°  F.,  and  for  the 
one  nearest  the  lake  48.3°F.  It  is  quite  likely  that  Cedar  Lake  is 
deep  enough  to  come  pretty  near  to  the  artesian  stratum  and 
allow  considerable  upward  seepage.  This  is  of  interest  in  consider- 
ing the  origin  of  the  marl.  An  analysis  by  R.  C.  Kedzie  of  clay 
brought  to  the  surface  by  one  of  these  wells,  is  as  follows : 


Silica,  soluble  60.00 

Sand  3.00 

Calcium  as  carbonate*  (CaCO.,) 18.31 

Magnesium  as  carbonate  (MgC03) 3.00 

Alumina  and  oxide  of  iron 14.80 

Difference  (water  or  losses)  .89 


100.00^ 


*It  is  probable  that  the  lime  and  magnesia  are  not  all  carbonate,  hence  the  dif- 
ference is  too  small. 


324 


MARL. 


This  would  not  be  a bad  Portland  cement  clay  so  far  as  the  anal- 
ysis goes,  but  it  is  one  of  the  common  surface  calcareous  clays  and 
it  is  not  likely  that  the  lime  would  come  twice  alike. 

Cedar  Lake  is  quite  a little  lower  than  the  railroad  station  and 
the  water  level  seems  to  have  been  falling.  This  may  have  helped 
the  peat  to  spread  more  rapidly  over  the  marl,  and  helps  to  account 
for  the  marl  extending  considerably  above  the  present  level  of  the 
lake,  a meadow  north  of  the  station  showing  a considerable  thickness 
of  marl,  analyses  B and  C.  In  this  latter  place  it  is  cut  into  by  the 
stream.  When  the  material  for  analyses  A and  B was  taken  the 
marl  was  22  feet  thick  with  about  one-half  foot  of  muck  on  top. 

Of  B,  which  is  near  the  railroad,  a sample  barrel  was  shipped  to 
the  H.  S.  Mould  Co.,  for  briquetting,  and  they  report  that  it  can  be 
successfully  handled  at  a cost  not  to  exceed  50c  a ton. 


ANALYSES. 


Analyst. 

F.  S.  Kedzie. 

F.  S.  Kedzie. 

R.  C.  Kedzie. 

No.  A. 

No.  B. 

No.  C. 

Wet. 

Dry. 

Wet. 

Dry. 

Clay. 

Insoluble  m titter  . . . . 

73 

\ 26 

52.54 

1.24 

1.58 

\ 10 
52.36 
.97 

Alumina 

j .30 
| .60 

Iron  oxide 

CaO  as  carbonate. 

60.00 

3.00 

MgO  as  carbonate 

no.. 

42.00 

3.23 

41.12 

3.86 

Organic,  mat.t.ftr ....  

1.50 
^ 34 . 60 

Ty  a.t.flr  

29.95 

70.05 

34.81 

65.19 

Difference 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Around  Cedar  Lake,  Mr.  Webster  estimates,  see  Fig.  31,  13 
feet  of  marl  on  20  acres,  i.  e.,  11,325,600  cubic  feet,  and  tributary 
two  acres  11,174,400  cubic  feet  beside. 

Around  Geiger  Lake  (Fig.  31),  he  finds  six  and  one-half  acres 
12  feet  thick,  or  3,136,320  acres.  These  estimates  are  certainly  very 
conservative,  and  as  Mr.  Webster  himself  says,  a larger  amount  of 
time  in  testing  would  have  materially  increased  the  amount  upon 
which  he  could  surely  estimate.  Altogether  in  the  region  there  is 
said  to  be  some  700  acres  of  marl  lands,  options  upon  which  were 
held  by  W.  S.  Nelson  and  George  Reed.  Cedar  Lake  has  furnished 
some  of  the  material  for  microscopic  tests,  and  for  Prof.  Davis’s 
experiments. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


325 


The  Cedar  Lake  marl  is  very  pure  Chara  lime,  and  there  is  just  a 
small  residue,  in  which  angular  quartz  grains,  rarely  as  large  as 
0.07  mm  occur.  There  is  one  well  terminated  crystal  of  tourmaline, 
prismatic  with  blunt  rhombohedral  terminations,  the  two  ends 
slightly  different  in  tint,  with  appropriate  refraction,  bi-refraction, 
and  pleochroism. 


Riverdale. 

Just  east  of  the  Cedar  Lake  district  in  Gratiot  County  is  River- 
dale, — where  the  Pere  Marquette  crosses  the  Pine  River.  The 
valley  here  is  much  too  large  for  the  Pine,  being  an  old  gravel  filled 
drainage  channel  of  the  ice.  Southwest  of  the  village,  toward  a 
small  pond  known  as  Mud  Lake,  is  a swamp  covered  with  peat, 
underlain  with  marl  toward  the  center.  The  peat  cover  is  thicker 
toward  the  margin  of  the  swamp. 

This  also  is  in  a region  where  flowing  wells  occur  at  a shallow 
depth  (38  feet). 

In  Mud  Lake  marl,  from  near  Riverdale,  the  cell  walls  appear 
as  dark  lines,  with  more  coarsely  polarizing  matter  between  as 
the  calcite  radiates  from  them.  There  are  also  bodies,  fruit  or 
spores  (?)  with  a little  greater  index  than  balsam,  spheroidal  in 
shape,  with  yellow  polarization  colors  and  a distorted  black  cross 
of  + character,  and  a diameter  of  about  0.04  mm. 

Olson  Lake  and  a number  of  other  lakes  near  Howard  City  con- 
tain bog  lime,  and  some  of  them  have  been  already  described  by 
Mr.  Hale. 

35.  (34)  Muskegon  County. — A sample  of  marl  has  been  sent  by 
Mr.  Keating  of  the  Muskegon  Board  of  Trade,  but  no  extensive  de- 
posits have  been  made  public.  Mr.  Hale  found  nothing  pure. 

36.  (33)  Oceana  County. — H.  Kennedy  is  said  to  have  on  his 
farm  in  Rothbury,  a lake  whose  bottom  is  rich  in  fertilizer  (?)  of  a 
marly  nature. 

Marl  is  also  said  to  have  been  found  near  Pentwater. 

37.  (32)  Newaygo  County. — Some  of  the  deposits  of  Newaygo 
County  have  been  quite  fully  described  in  connection  with  the 
Newaygo  plant  and  by  Mr.  Hale. 


326 


MABL. 


A sample  of  marl  from  Fremont  Lake  gave : 


Prof.  Fall. 

Prof.  : 

F.  S.  Kedzie. 

Silica 

2.28 

3.93 

Iron  and  alumina 

1.60 

Calcium  as  carbonate 

88.25 

(44.48CaO) 

79.44 

Magnesia  as  carbonate . . . 

1.40 

( 1 . 39MgO) 

2.91 

Difference,  organic  and  loss 

6.47 

13.33 

100.00 

100.00 

Direct  estimate  gave  Prof.  Kedzie  34.54  C02  and  15.36  organic 
matter  and  loss.  Thus  the  indications  are  that  in  this  marl  the 
CaO  is  combined  in  part  with  an  organic  acid. 

An  adjacent  surface  clay  gave  Prof.  Kedzie : 


Silica  38.36 

Alumina  (and  ferric  oxide) 22.18 

Calcium  oxide 13.96 

as  carbonate 24.96 

Magnesium  oxide 8.19 

as  carbonate  17.12 

Carbonic  oxide  16.45 

Difference,  organic  matter,  alkalies  and 
loss  .86 


100.00  102.62 

38.  (31)  Mecosta  County. — In  the  neighborhood  of  Barryton  are 
said  to  be  marl  beds  from  20  to  300  acres  in  extent  (T.  16  N.,  R. 

7 W0. 

The  beds  around  Pierson  are  described  in  Sec.  3 of  Chapter  VII. 

39.  (30)  Isabella  County. — The  Littlefield  Lake  deposit  has 
already  been  described  by  Mr.  Davis,  and  in  connection  with  the 
Farwell  P.  C.  Co.  It  is  probably  the  best  in  the  county. 

40.  (29)  Midland  County. — This  county  probably  contains  no 
large  deposits  of  bog  lime. 

41.  (28)  Bay  County. — The  shale  clays  of  this  county,  developed 
by  the  coal  mines,  have  been  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
Hecla  P.  C.  and  C.  Co.  There  are  probably  no  large  deposits  of  bog 
lime,  unless  possibly  in  the  extreme  north. 

42.  (27)  Arenac  County. — There  is  not  much  bog  lime  in  this 
county,  though  there  is  some  valuable  limestone.  There  may  be 
a little  under  the  marshes  of  the  west  end. 

43.  (26)  Gladivin  County. — Extensive  beds  are  reported  within  a 
mile  of  the  county  seat,  and  there  may  be  others  northwest. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS . 


327 


44.  (25)  Clare  County. — See  description  of  the  beds  of  the  Clare 
Portland  Cement  Co. 

45.  (24)  Osceola  County. 

46.  (23)  Lake  County. — The  principal  beds  here  are  probably 
in  the  possession  of  the  Great  Northern  P.  C.  Co.,  and  have  been 
previously  described. 

A bed  is  reported  on  Section  3,  T.  20  N.,  R.  14  W. 

47.  (22)  Mason  County. — Large  beds  are  reported  near  Miller- 
ton  on  the  line  of  the  Manistee  and  Grand  Rapids  R.  R.,  near  the 
west  line  of  Lake  County. 

48.  (21)  Manistee  County , and  region  of  the  Manistee  and  North- 
eastern R.  R. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  J.  J.  Hubbell,  chief  engineer  of  the 
Manistee  and  Northeastern  R.  R.  we  have  the  result  of  their  work 
of  investigation  which  he  has  superintended,  to  add  to  the  notes  of 
Mr.  Hale  on  his  trip.  This  region  includes: 

49.  (20)  Wexford , and  also  Benzie,  Grand  Traverse  and  Lee- 
lanau Counties. 

The  collection  embraces  some  52  clays  and  marls  of  which 
samples  were  taken,  and  turned  over  to  us  in  their  case. 

Many  of  the  surface  clays,  though  calcareous  as  usual,  run  lower 
in  carbonates  than  those  from  other  parts  of  the  State  as  the  fol- 
lowing group  of  analyses  shows,  in  which,  however,  the  magnesia 
is  so  high  relative  to  the  lime  as  to  show  that  the  material  is  dolo- 
mitic.  Such  clays  will  hardly  effervesce  w7ith  cold  acid,  and  may 
thus  pass  for  better  cement  clays  than  they  really  are. 


Lab.  No 

592 

593 

594 

595 

Mark  

65 

66 

67 

68 

Silica  

61.94 

56.64 

61.10 

59.36 

Alumina  

11.58 

12.18 

13.91 

12.38 

Iron  (ferric)  oxide.  . . . 

3.49 

3.59 

3.62 

3.62 

Calcium  oxide 

5.92 

8.17 

6.32 

5.63 

Magnesium  oxide  .... 

4.85 

4.29 

3.91 

4.62 

Sulphuric  anhydride . . 

.18 

.31 

.31 

.30 

Difference,  C02,  organic, 

alkalies,  etc 

12.04 

14.82 

10.83 

14.09 

Total  100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Calcium  as  carbonate* . 

10.6 

14.6 

11.3 

10.1 

Magnesium  as  carbonate 

10.1 

9.0 

8.2 

9.7 

Total  dolomitic  matter 

20.7 

23.6 

19.5 

20.2 

Difference  to  balance, 

organic,  alkalies,  etc 

2.11 

3.48 

1.56 

4.14 

♦Calculations  below  totals  are  by  A.  C.  Lane  and  not  by  analyst. 


328 


MARL. 


W.  H.  Simmons  of  Bronson,  Chemist,  Dec.  17,  1900. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  clays: 

No.  1A.  East  Lake,  Sec.  4,  5,  T.  21  N.,  R,  17  W.,  4 feet  thick ; 1 to  2 
feet  of  sand  stripping,  a smooth,  pink  brick  clay,  surface,  high  in 
lime  with  a trace  of  sand. 

No.  IB.  Same  location,  5 to  10  acres  of  it,  2 feet  thick;  2 feet 
muck  stripping,  with  no  sand  and  but  a trace  of  lime.  A smooth 
blue  clay. 

No.  2.  Arendale  Hill,  Sec.  15,  T.  22  N.,  R.16  W.;  extensive  quan- 
tity, with  2 to  4 feet  stripping;  very  high  in  sand  and  high  in  lime. 
A pink  brick  clay,  but  probably  with  some  small  pebbles. 

No.  4.  Onekama,  Sec.  25,  T..  23  N.,  R.16  W.;  extensive  quantity, 
with  light  stripping,  no  sand,  but  a moderate  amount  of  lime;  in 
appearance  like  1A. 

No.  5.  Manistee,  Sec.  31.  T.  22  N.,  R.  16  W. ; moderate  quantity, 
with  3 feet  stripping,  a trace  of  sand  and  high  in  lime ; a laminated, 
pinkish,  fine  grained  clay. 

No.  6.  Copemish,  Sec.  7,  T.  24  N.,  R.  13  W.;  small  quantity,  with 
2 to  4 feet  stripping;  no  sand,  and  a moderate  amount  of  lime;  a 
smooth,  pink  plastic  clay. 

No.  7.  Betsey  River  (“Aux  Bees  Scies”),  Sec.  10,  T.  24  N.,  R.  14 
W. ; quantity  large  and  stripping  light;  sand  high,  and  moderate 
amount  of  lime;  a massive,  pink  clay. 

No.  8.  Horicon,  Sec.  9,  T.  25  N.,  R.  12  W.;  a limited  quantity  of 
clay  with  heavy  stripping;  with  no  sand,  but  much  lime;  a blue 
clay,  till  clay,  with  small  limestone  fragments. 

No.  9.  Carp  Lake,  Sec.  1,  T.  28  N.,  R.  12  W.;  large  quantity  with 
light  stripping;  only  a trace  of  sand,  and  a moderate  amount  of 
lime;  a tough,  plastic,  pinkish  clay. 

No.  10.  Duck  Lake,  Sec.  26,  T.  26  N.,  R.  12  W. ; limited  amount 
with  heavy  stripping;  no  sand  but  high  in  lime;  a pink  clay. 

No.  11.  Cedar  Run,  Sec.  6,  T.  27  N.,  R.  12  W.;  moderate  amount 
with  4 to  6 feet  of  stripping;  no  sand,  and  a moderate  amount  of 
lime;  looks  much  like  1A;  a smooth,  pink  clay. 

No.  12.  Carp  Lake,  Sec.  15,  T.  28  N.,  R.  12  W. ; quantity  limited 
and  stripping  5 to  19  feet;  with  no  sand  but  high  in  lime;  compared 
with  No.  9 it  appears  smoother  and  more  uniform. 


Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 


Vol.  VIII  Part  III  Plates  XXII.  : 


GENERAL  VIEW  NEWAYGO  PORTLAND  CEMENT  CO’S  PLANT. 


METHOD  OF  EXCAVATING  MARL. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS.  329 

No.  13.  Traverse  City,  Sec.  28,  T.  28  N.,  R.  11  W. ; large  amount, 
with  no  stripping;  a smooth,  pink  clay.  Analysis: 

Sand  00.00 

Silica  29.06 

Magnesia  2.07 

Lime  (carbonate?)  50.02 

Alumina 12.03 

Iron  (oxide?) 5.02 

Difference 1.80 


100.00 

No.  14.  Sherman,  Sec.  31,  T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W. ; limited  amount;  too 
much  stripping;  sand  but  a trace,  but  lime  heavy;  a cream-colored 
clay. 

No.  16.  Platte  River,  Sec.  14,  T.  27  N.,  R.  14  W. ; amount  limited, 
and  too  much  stripping;  with  no  sand,  but  a trace  of  lime;  a deep 
red,  plastic  clay;  would  be  a valuable  clay  if  favorably  located. 

No.  17.  Platte  River,  Sec.  29,  T.  27  N.,  R.  14  W. ; amount  limited, 
but  stripping  light;  only  a trace  of  sand  and  lime;  a red  clay,  sim- 
ilar to  No.  16;  a valuable  clay,  but  I suspect  that  the  lack  of  lime  is 
due  to  leaching,  and  would  not  be  found  persistent. 

No.  20.  North  and  east  of  Wexford,  Sec.  23,  T.  25  N.,  R.  11  W.; 
amount  small,  and  amount  of  stripping  unknown;  high  in  sand 
and  lime ; a buff,  brick  clay. 

No.  22A.  Dean's  Mill,  Sec.  30,  T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W.;  one  hundred 
acres  of  it,  with  1 foot  of  stripping;  no  sand  and  only  a trace  of 
lime;  a buff  clay  with  roots  in  it;  valuable  if  not  merely  a super- 
ficial layer. 

No.  22B.  Dean’s,  Sherman,  same  section;  a large  amount  di- 
rectly under  22A;  analysis  as  follows: 


Sand trace 

Silica  41.76 

Alumina  and  iron  oxides 17.16 

Lime  (oxide?) 16.00 

Magnesia  5.62 

Loss  (on  ignition?) 19.02 

Difference  0.44 


Total 100.00 

42-Pt.  Ill 


330 


MARL. 


This  analysis  shows  that  the  clay  22A  is  probably  due  merely 
to  superficial  leaching,  and  will  be  irregular  in  thickness.  No.  22B 
is  a smooth,  pink  clay  with  a resemblance  to  No.  1A,  etc. 

No.  22C.  Dean’s,  Sherman,  same  locality  and  directly  under 
22B;  large  amount;  analysis  as  follows: 


Sand trace 

Silica  47.68 

Aluminum  and  iron  oxides 17.70 

Lime  (oxide?)  12.50 

Magnesia  . 5.38 

Loss  16.42 

Difference  0.32 


Total  : 100.00 


A drab,  plastic  clay,  a shade  bluer  than  22B. 

No.  22D.  Dean’s  Mill,  same  section;  .stripping  of  22C;  amount 
extensive;  with  no  sand,  and  only  a trace  of  lime,  according  to 
report,  but  the  sample  with  the  survey  effervesces  freely;  appar- 
ently the  same  as  220. 

No.  23.  Northport,  Leelanau  County,  Sec.  10,  T.  31  N.,  R.  11  W. ; 
large  amount,  but  3 feet  of  stripping;  no  sand  and  a moderate 
amount  of  lime;  a good  deal  like  the  clay  at  Manistee,  No.  5. 

No.  24.  Meesick,  Sec.  11,  T.  23  N.,  R.  12  W.;  large  quantity  with 
light  stripping;  no  sand,  and  a moderate  amount  of  lime,  much 
like  No.  23. 

No.  25.  Eddington  farm,  Sec.  25,  T.  27  N.,  R.  13  W. ; extensive 
quantity  with  light  stripping;  high  in  sand,  and  moderate  in  lime; 
a dark  red  clay,  with  some  small  pebbles.  Apparently  a till  clay 
of  little  value. 

No.  26 A.  Stanley’s  clay,  Harrietta,  Part  I,  p.  3,  this  report,  prob- 
ably, large  amount  with  2 or  3 feet  of  stripping;  analysis  (compare 
analysis  24  of  Part  I)  : 


Sand  0.00 

Silica  55.60 

Magnesia  12.00 

Loss  on  ignition  (?) 15.60 

Difference  (calcium  oxide?) 16.80 


No.  27.  Carp  Lake,  Sec.  12,  T.  28  N.,  R.  12  W. ; amount  limited 
and  stripping  heavy;  no  sand  but  much  lime;  much  like  26A. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AN1)  MILLS. 


331 


No.  28.  Carp  Lake,  same  section  as  No.  27 ; large  amount  and 
no  stripping;  no  sand  and  moderate  amount  of  lime;  one  of  the 
common,  smooth  red  clays. 

No.  29.  Manistee,  Sec.  30,  T.  22  N.,  R.  18  W. ; large  amount  and  no 
stripping;  much  sand  and  a moderate  amount  of  lime;  contains 
some  small  pebbles, — a till  clay. 

No.  30.  Monroe  Center,  Sec.  6,  T.  25  N.,  R.  11  W. ; large  amount, 
with  1 to  3 feet  of  stripping;  no  sand  and  no  lime;  a greenish, 
somewhat  vari  colored  clay,  and  if  the  sample  is  a fair  one,  it  ought 
to  be  a very  valuable  clay. 

No.  31A.  Russell’s  farm,  Sec.  22,  T.  21  N.,  R.  18  W.;  a very  large 
amount  with  no  stripping;  only  a trace  of  sand  and  a moderate 
amount  of  lime;  one  of  the  common  type  of  smooth,  pink  plastic 
clay. 

No.  31B.  RusselFs  farm,  same  location;  2 to  3 feet  thick  with 
No.  31 A as  a stripping;  with  much  sand  and  a moderate  amount  of 
lime;  these  two  clays  together  could  be  nicely  combined  in  making 
brick. 

No.  32.  Sherman,  Sec.  31,  T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W. ; large  amount  with 
light  stripping;  no  sand  and  no  lime;  smooth,  with  a greenish  tinge; 
apparently  a valuable  clay  for  cement  or  other  purposes. 

No.  33.  Near  Sherman,  Sec.  25,  T.  24  N.,  R.  12  W.;  large  amount 
with  light  stripping;  no  sand  and  a moderate  amount  of  lime;  a 
smooth,  pink  plastic  clay. 

No.  34.  On  Manistee  River,  Sec.  10,  T.  23  N.,  R.  12  W.;  amount 
unknown,  but  no  stripping;  no  sand  and  a moderate  amount  of 
lime;  a smooth,  red  clay. 

No.  35.  Bear  Creek,  Sec.  6,  T.  22  N.,  R.  14  W. ; very  large  amount 
with  very  light  stripping;  no  sand  and  a moderate  amount  of  lime; 
a very  smooth  clay,  in  color  between  blue  and  purplish  drab. 

No.  36.  Platte  township,  Sec.  29,  T.  27  N.,  R.  14  W.;  limited 
amount  with  light  stripping;  only  a trace  of  sand  or  lime;  the 
sample,  however,  is  a common  pink  clay,  probably  a till  clay,  with 
small  pebbles,  and  free  effervescence  in  acids. 

No.  37.  State  Lumber  Co.,  S.  W.  quarter  of  N.  E.  quarter,  Sec.  22, 
T.  26  N.,  R.  14  W.;  high  in  sand  with  a trace  of  lime;  a pink  clay. 

No.  38.  Jas.  Case,  Homestead  P.  O.;  southwest  quarter  of  north- 
west quarter,  Sec.  22,  T.  26  N.,  R.  14  W. ; no  sand  and  moderate  in 
lime. 


332 


MAUL. 


No.  39.  Carp  Lake,  Sec.  12,  T.  28  N.,  R.  12  W.;  see  No.  9;  large 
amount,  with  moderate  amount  of  stripping;  a trace  of  sand  and 
moderate  amount  of  lime;  a reddish  clay. 

No.  40.  Carp  Lake,  same  location  as  No.  39;  a large  amount 
with  moderate  stripping;  similar  in  sand,  lime  and  appearance. 

No.  42A.  Brosch  Estate,  Traverse  City,  Sec.  1,  T.  27  N.,  R.  11 
W. ; 80  acres  of  it,  2 feet  thick;  stripping  light;  analysis: 


Sand  00.00 

Calcium  oxide 3.15 

Magnesium  oxide 0.31 

Aluminum  and  iron  oxides 32.79 

Silica  60.62 

Difference  3.13 


Total 100.00 


No.  42B.  Same  location  as  42A;  80  acres  of  unknown  depth,, 
with  2 feet  of  stripping;  no  sand  and  a moderate  amount  of  lime. 
This  appears  to  be  the  main  bed  of  reddish  clay,  of  which  A is  a 
superficial  layer,  produced  by  leaching.  They  are  very  similar  in 
looks. 

No.  43.  B.  Hoke,  Sherman,  southwest  quarter  of  the  south- 
west quarter,  of  Sec.  29,  T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W. ; moderate  amount  with 
light  stripping;  high  in  sand,  and  moderate  in  lime;  a blue  clay. 

No.  44.  Southeast  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter,  of  Sec.  18, 
T.  24  N.,  R.12  W.;  with  a trace  of  sand  and  moderate  in  lime;  a 
pink  clay. 

No.  45.  Corey,  Wexford  Corners,  northeast  quarter  of  the  north- 
west quarter,  Sec.  18,  T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W.;  with  a trace  of  sand,  and 
moderate  in  lime ; a pink  clay. 

No.  47A.  Lake  Bluff,  north  of  Leland,  Sec.  4,  T.  30  N.,  R,  12  W.; 
bluff  200  feet  high,  with  no  stripping;  free  from  sand  with  a mod- 
erate amount  of  lime;  a typical  pink  till  clay;  the  sample  is  not  free 
from  pebbles  and  sand,  though  they  are  not  abundant. 

No.  48A.  Lake  Leelanau,  Sec.  11,  T.  30  N.,  R.  12  W.;  large 
amount  with  light  stripping;  no  sand  but  high  in  lime;  a smooth, 
pink  clay. 

No.  48B.  Lake  Leelanau,  layer  below  48A;  similar  in  character; 
very  smooth. 

No.  48C.  Lake  Leelanau,  layer  below  48A;  similar  in  character. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


333 


No.  52.  Sec.  19,  T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W. ; small  amount  with  heavy 
stripping;  a large  amount  of  sand,  but  low  in  lime. 

No.  53.  Clay  to  be  used  at  Baldwin;  a smooth,  pink  clay,  freely 
effervescing;  one  of  the  common  surface  clays.  No.  60  is  a calcar- 
eous shale  from  the  bay  shore  near  Petoskey.  No.  15  was  a clay 
from  the  foundation  of  the  new  pumping  station  at  Detroit,  of  the 
water-works;  a green  sand  clay,  freely  effervescing.  The  remain- 
ing numbers  are  of  marls,  many  of  them  not  along  the  line  of  the 
road. 

No.  54  was  a very  fine  specimen  of  almost  pure  calcium  carbonate, 
bog  lime,  or  marl,  from  Baldwin. 

No.  55  was  supposed  to  be  an  average  sample,  perhaps  not  quite 
so  fine,  showing  some  root  marks  and  some  shells. 

No.  56.  Bronson  Lake,  Sec.  4,  T.  26  N.,  R.  13  W.;  a widening  of 
the  Platte  River;  dark  blue  with  quite  a number  of  shells. 

No.  57  is  from  Newaygo. 

No.  58.  This  is  from  the  “Bigmarsh/’  a filled  lake  connected  with 
the  Betsey  (“Aux  Bees  Scies”)  River,  Sections  1 and  2,  T.  25  N.,R.  13 
W. ; said  to  cover  988  acres,  varying  from  6 to  35  feet  in  depth,  and 
(as  a result  of  600  soundings)  to  contain  about  23,000,000  cubic 
yards.  The  sample  has  a slight  bluish  tinge,  and  a good  many 
shells,  and  appears  quite  as  good  as  most  commercial  marls,  that  of 
the  Peninsular  plant,  for  instance. 

No.  59.  From  Carp  Lake,  Sec.  24,  T.  30  N.,  R.  12  W.;  at  the  nar- 
rows; a good-looking,  bluish  marl. 

Besides  these  deposits  of  bog  lime,  there  are  in  this  district : 

Mr.  Farr’s  deposit  at  Portage  Lake,  Onekama,  already  described 
by  Mr.  Hale. 

A deposit  in  the  south  end  of  the  lake  at  Arcadia. 

A deposit  in  Little  Platte  Lake,  Sec.  36,  T.  26  N.,  R.  15  W. 

The  deposits  in  Upper  Herring  Lake,  controlled  by  the  Water- 
vale  P.  C.  Co.,  already  described. 

A deposit  at  the  head  of  Carp  Lake,  Sec.  10,  T.  28  N.,  R.  12  W., 
as  well  as  that  at  the  narrows,  already  mentioned. 

On  the  north  side  of  Gflen  Lake,  Sec.  26,  T.  29  N.,  R.  14  W. 

In  Traverse  Lake  and  perhaps  Lime  Lake,  T.  29  N.,  R.  13  W. 

50.  (19)  Missaukee  County. 

51.  (18)  Roscommon  County. 


334 


MARL. 


52.  (17)  Ogemaw  County. — Beside  the  extensive  deposits  of  bog 
lime  described  in  connection  with  the  Hecla  cement  plant,  and  the 
projected  plant  at  Lupton,  the  same  is  reported  from : 

Gamble  Lake,  Sec.  11,  T.  23  N.,  R.  3 E. 

Devore  Lake,  Sec.  11;  same  township. 

Sage  Lake,  a large  lake  in  the  south  central  part  of  T.  23  N.,  R. 
4 E. 

As  there  are  probably  outcrops  on  the  Rifle  River  of  the  Michigan 
and  coal  series,  it  is  likely  that  good  shale  clays  may  be  found  in  the 
county,  although  as  already  remarked,  the  Hecla  plant  plans  to  go 
to  the  coal  measure  shales  of  Bay  County  for  theirs. 

53.  (16)  Iosco  County. — Valuable  marl  beds  are  said  to  have 
been  found  near  East  Tawas  by  H.  C.  Bristol. 

The  Michigan  series  of  outcrops  in  this  county  at  Alabaster,  and 
up  the  An  Gres  River,  and  exposures  of  argillaceous  limestone, 
suitable  for  rock  cement  and  probably  of  shale  clays  for  mixing  in 
Portland  cement  occur. 

The  following  analysis,  is  I think,  from  one  of  these  clays,  taken 
from  near  Alabaster  and  Sherman,  and  analyzed  for  R.  A.  McKay 
of  Bay  City  by  F.  S.  Ivedzie : 


Silica  58.95 

Aluminum  oxide 14.45 

Iron  oxide 7.60 

Calcium  oxide 2.94 

Magnesium  oxide .86 

Sulphuric  anhydride  (S03) 1.73 

Alkalies  as  K20 t 2.54 

Water  of  combination 7.50 

Difference,  organic  matter  and  loss 3.43 


Total 100.00 


Its  freedom  from  lime  or  grit,  and  high  per  cent  of  silica  are 
valuable  qualities. 

54.  (15)  Alcona  County. — In  the  annual  report  for  1901  some 

details  are  given  regarding  the  bog  lime  deposits  of  this  county 
(pp.  60  to  65)  as  follows.  The  deposit  north  of  Harrisville  about 
three  miles,  near  what  is  known  as  Ludington’s  Spring,  received 
some  attention  in  the  summer  of  1899. 

“Marl  deposits  in  Alcona  County,  so  far  as  examined,  were  found 
to  be  too  thin  to  be  utilized  in  the  cement  industry.  There  is  from 
6 to  10  feet  of  rather  impure  marl  in  the  lake  on  the  township  line 
a mile  west  of  Lincoln.  About  6 feet  of  marl,  apparently  of  good 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


335 


quality,  was  found  on  the  border  of  Tubb’s  Lake  in  Sec.  31,  T.  26  X., 
R.  7 E.,  forming  a platform  10  or  12  rods  wide.  Marl  deposits  1.5 
to  2 feet  thick  are  exposed  in  a railway  ditch  in  a swamp  one-half 
mile  north  of  Harrisville  station,  and  a similar  depth  in  railroad 
ditches  south  of  Greenbush  on  the  west  side  of  Cedar  Lake. 

“Deposits  of  what  is  popularly  known  in  Michigan  as  marl,  but 
is  nearly  a pure  calcium  carbonate,  occur  at  a number  of  points, 
at  Springport  (South  Harrisville),  Kirk  Ludington’s,  Sliabno’s,  four 
miles  south  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  T.  27  X.,  R.  9 E.,  etc. 

“A  very  interesting  deposit  in  some  ways  is  one  that  is  crossing 
the  lake  road  about  three  miles  and  a half  north  of  Harrisville. 

“It  covers  probably  not  less  than  20  acres.  1 do  not  know  how 
deep  it  is,  though  it  has  been  tested. 

“The  interesting  thing,  however,  is  its  mode  of  occurrence,  which 
is  directly  in  front  of  the  bluffs  worn  by  the  lake  at  a higher  level, 
with  no  ridge  or  barrier  between  it  and  the  present  lake.  It  is 
wasting  away,  but  the  upper  part  is  redissolved  and  precipitated 
and  passes  into  a firm  and  hard  calcareous  tufa,  while  as  one  goes 
down,  it  becomes  granular  and  then  soft.  It  appears  to  be  a gen- 
uine Char  a lime  formed  by  the  precipitation  of  lime  by  the  lake  weed 
known  as  Chara,  but  it  can  hardly  be  supposed  to  have  been  found 
in  such  purity  directly  on  the  beach  of  a great  lake,  and  we  are 
forced  to  assume  that  it  is  the  relic  of  a small  lake,  the  rest  of 
which  has  been  eroded  away. 

“There  is  enough,  perhaps,  for  lime  kilns,  but  hardly,  I think,  for 
a cement  plant;  and,  beside,  it  is  so  hard  and  granular  on  top  that 
the  advantage  of  marl,  its  fine  sludgy  character  suitable  for  mix- 
ing, would  be  lost. 

“In  general,  clay  deposits  of  fine  and  uniform  texture  are  rather 
rare  in  Alcona  County,  but  in  the  southeast  part  there  is  con- 
siderable clay  that  carries  but  few  pebbles,  an  area  of  several 
square  miles  being  found  around  Mikado  and  northward  from 
there  between  Gustin  and  Killmaster.  Although  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  has  been  made  to  burn  a kiln  of  brick  at  Mikado,  it  seems 
probable  that  the  surface  clay  will  in  many  cases  prove  suitable 
for  brick  or  tile.  It  will  at  least  be  worth  while  to  experiment 
further  with  the  clay,  for  that  part  of  the  county  would  be  greatly 
improved  by  underdraining  with  tile,  and  it  will  be  an  advantage  to 
manufacture  the  tile  where  it  is  to  be  used. 

“At  South  Harrisville,  Sec.  32,  T.  26  X.,  R.  9 E.,  some  brick  has 
been  made  of  glacial  clay.  It  is  not  entirely  free  from  pebbles, 
effervesces  somewhat  and  makes  cream-colored  brick.  Some  brick 
has  been  made  also  at  Mikado  (West  Greenbush)  of  a similar 
quality.  All  the  clays  of  the  county  are  Pleistocene  or  surface 
clays,  and  it  is  the  almost  universal  rule  that  such  clays  have  more 
or  less  calcium  and  magnesium  carbonate.  Generally  the  top  of 
the  bed  is  free  from  carbonates,  which  have  been  leached  out. 

“Just  at  Harrisville  the  stream  falls  over  a smooth,  well-bedded 
clay,  apparently  an  old  lake  clay  free  from  pebbles.  If  not,  it 
could  easily  be  washed  free  by  the  stream.*  Back  of  Sturgeon 


*As  at  Sebewaing,  see  Vol.  VIII,  Part  I. 


336 


MARL . 


Point,  on  Sec.  25;  T.  27  N.,  R.  9 E.,  are  fields  where  a similar  clay 
appears  to  be  present,  but  it  is  particularly  well  exposed  where  the 
Black  River  opens  out  from  the  hilly  moraine  country  to  the 
swampy  land  of  the  old  lake  bottom  on  Sec.  3 of  the  same  township 
and  Sec.  34,  just  north.  Here  a calcareous  clay  is  extremely  well 
exposed  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  appearing  almost  as  though  it 
were  bed  rock.  But  probably  the  same  bed  of  clay  also  appears  in 
the  bluffs  of  the  outer  valley  above  the  flood  plain  and  at  least  10  feet 
above  the  river.  Here  it  is  light  reddish  in  color,  does  not  effervesce 
with  acid,  lies  close  to  the  abandoned  track  of  an  old  logging  rail- 
road, and  could  be  readily  worked.  I should  think  it  would  make 
unusually  good  brick  and  tile  (see  analysis  below),  though  it  is 
quite  possible  that  farther  working  and  testing  with  auger  would 
show  that  in  going  deeper  more  lime  was  encountered.  Still  it  is 
quite  likely  that  an  important  top  layer  may  have  been  leached 
free. 

“There  are  indications  that  similar  clays  occur  all  the  way  along, 
but  somewhat  below  and  nearer  the  shore,  the  highest  former 
shore  line  of  Lake  Huron  (645  to  655  A.  T.). 

“The  An  Sable  River  also  flows  at  several  points  over  firm,  well- 
bedded  pink  clays,  apparently  free  from  pebbles  but  full  of  lime. 
A good  place  to  observe  them,  however,  is  in  a little  side  stream 
at  Bamfields,  Sec.  11,  T.  25  N.,  R.  5 E.,  where  they  are  well  exposed. 

“Three  typical  samples  of  the  clays  were  sent  to  the  McMillan 
Chemical  Laboratory,  Albion,  for  analysis,  and  the  following  re- 
ports were  received  from  Prof.  Delos  Fall : 


910. 

911. 

912. 

Millbury. 

Free  sand 

13.98 

11.53 

38.55 

Combined  silica 

27.60 

25.71 

22.73 

41.58 

37.24 

61.28 

61.03 

Alumina 

12.58 

7.08 

16.37 

Oxide  of  iron 

3.59 

3.99 

5.59 

18.10 

6.65 

Calcium  oxide 

13.04 

17.70 

2.33 

1.29 

Carbonic  oxide 

17.26 

21.00 

Calcium  carbonate 

23.28 

31.60 

Sulphur  anhydride 

0.41 

0.41 

0.67 

1.55 

Magnesia* 

6.44 

6.52 

1.21 

.53 

Org.  Matter 

3 72 

3.46 

9.14 

9.20 

98.62 

97.40 

96.59 

Difference,  principally  alkalies 

1.38 

2.60 

3.41 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

“No.  910  is  the  ordinary  calcareous  clay  or  marl  of  the  district 
from  Black  River  near  the  water  level,  and  is  free  from  pebbles 
or  grit.  It  will  be  seen  that  it  is  composed  of  about  one-third  very 
fine  sand  or  rock  flour,  one-third  clay  proper,  and  one-third  dolo- 
mite. It  may  be  used  for  making  brick,  but  will  yield  a light  brick 
that  will  not  stand  hard  burning. 


*There  is  not  enough  C02  to  combine  with  all  the  lime  and  magnesia,  hence  there 
is  probably  some  hydrous  magnesian  silicate  present.  L. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


337 


“Samples  of  clay  from  the  Au  Sable  valley  appear  to  have 
similar  composition. 

“No.  911,  from  the  old  brickyard  southeast  of  Harrisville,  is  a 
typical  tile  clay  and  contained  some  small  limestone  pebbles.  It 
will  be  seen  that  it  contains  even  more  lime,  nearly  half.  Neither 
of  the  clays  appear  to  be  suited  to  the  higher  uses  for  clay. 

“No.  912,  the  third  clay,  which  lies  over  No.  910  and  may  be  de- 
rived from  it  by  solution  of  the  calcareous  material,  is  of  an  entirely 
different  character.  If  the  silica  is  finely  divided  enough,  and  I 
think  it  is,  it  would  make  an  excellent  clay  to  mix  with  Portland 
cement  for  the  manufacture  of  marl.  I have  given  an  analysis 
of  the  Millbury,  Ohio  clay,  which  is  largely  used  in  the  State  for 
cement  manufacture,  for  comparison. 

“It  would  also  make  an  excellent  grade  of  red  brick,  and  very 
probably  also  paving  brick.  It  remains  to  be  seen  by  a series  of 
borings  how  much  of  this  clay  there  is,  but  in  all  probability  field 
tests  showing  whether  it  effervesces  with  muriatic  acid  will  be 
sufficient  to  show  this.” 

55.  (14)  Oscoda  County. — There  are  probably  considerable  beds 
of  bog  lime,  but  little  is  as  yet  known  of  them.  Some  is  reported 
about  5 miles  west  of  Luzerne,  near  Tyrrell,  T.  26  N.,  R 1 E. 

56.  (13)  Crawford. — There  is  a deposit  of  bog  lime  close  to 
Grayling.  The  analysis  given  in  the  Agricultural  Bulletin,  No.  99, 
is  in  error. 

An  analysis  of  the  Grayling  marl  by  W.  M.  Courtis,  M.  E.,  is  as 
follows: 


Water  lost  at  100°C 61. 

Dried  marl  49. 


Moisture  0.60 

Organic  matter 9.80 

Insoluble  silica 0.78 

Soluble  silica  0.13 

Ferric  oxide 1.13 

Alumina 0.07 

Calcium  carbonate 87.00 

Magnesium  0.91 

Sulphuric  acid 0.27 


100.69 


43-Pt.  Ill 


338 


MARL. 


Same  sample  figured  without  the  organic  matter  is: 


Calcium  carbonate 97.00 

Silica  1.01 

Ferric  oxide 1.26 

Alumina 0.08 

Magnesium  carbonate 1.01 

Sulphuric  acid 0.30 


100.66 


57.  (12)  Kalla  ska  County. 

58.  (11)  Grand  Traverse  County.  — Some  of  the  beds  of  this 
county  have  been  described  in  connection  with  the  Elk  Rapids 
Portland  Cement  Co.,  and  the  work  of  Mr.  Hubbell  for  the  Manistee 
and  Northeastern  R.  R. 

59.  (10)  Benzie  County. — The  beds  of  this  county  have  been 
largely  described  in  connection  with  the  Watervale  plant,  by  Mr. 
Hale,  and  in  connection  with  the  Manistee  and  Northeastern  R.  R. 

A hed  of  100  acres  is  reported  near  Aral. 

60.  (9)  Leelanau  County. — Some  beds  of  this  county  have  been 
referred  to  in  connection  with  the  explorations  of  the  Manistee 
and  Northeastern  R.  R. 

61.  (8)  Antrim  County. — The  Elk  Rapids  factory  is  located  in 
this  county.  Beside  this  company  the  “Lake  Shore  Cement  Com- 
pany” (G.  W.  Davis  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  S.  B.  Daboll  of  St.  Johns,  and 
others)  , have  obtained  options  on  the  lime  deposits  of  Intermediate 
(which  Mr.  Hale  has  described,  p.  142,  as  Central  Lake),  Grass 
and  Clam  Lakes,  some  600  acres  in  all  it  is  said.  The  shores  of  this 
county  contain,  as  I believe,  valuable  exposures  of  shale  clay. 

63.  (6)  Otsego  County. 

64.  (5)  Montmorency  County. 

65.  (4)  Alpena  County. — There  is  marl,  limestone  and  clay, 
abundant  in  this  county.  See  the  description  of  the  Alpena  Port- 
land Cement  Co.  and  the  Annual  Report  for  1901.  The  limestones 
I believe  to  be  especially  valuable. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


339 


We  have  also  an  analysis  of  an  Alpena  County  marl,  by  W.  M. 
Courtis: 


Carbonate  of  lime 74.48 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 0.50 

Silica  7.20 

Alumina  0.54 

Ferric  oxide 2.36 

Sulphuric  acid 0.89 

Organic  matter 12.88 

Water 1.25 


100.10 


66.  (3)  Presque  Isle  County. — The  conditions  of  Alpena  County 

are  repeated  here. 

The  following  are  analyses  of  a limestone  and  yellow  clay  shale 
south  of  Rogers  City,  which  I owe  to  Mr.  J.  G.  Dean  of  Hassan, 
Tagge,  and  Dean  of  Detroit : 

Limestone. 


Silica  0.62 

Alumina  and  ferric  oxide 0.20 

Calcium  carbonate 98.34 

Magnesium  carbonate 0.45 

Sulphur  anhydride tr. 

Organic  0.09 


99.70 

Shale  Clay,  Yelloic. 


Silica  66.39 

Alumina  13.60 

Ferric  oxide  5.87 

Calcium  oxide .99 

Magnesium  oxide .50 

Sulphur  anhydride  1.00 

Organic,  etc 10.32 


98.67 

There  are  said  to  be  marl  beds  half  a mile  from  the  court  house. 
Only  about  two  feet  of  stripping  are  said  to  be  needed. 


340 


MAUL. 


67.  (2)  Cheboygan  County. — Very  extensive  deposits  of  marl 
are  reported  on  Black  (otherwise  called  Cheboygan)  lake.  The 
little  steamer  Eva  of  the  Onawav-Oheboygan  mail  line  is  said  to 
plough  through  acres  of  it  in  the  bed  of  Lower  Black  River,  be- 
tween Stony  Point  and  Taylor’s  Landing.  Limestone  also  occurs 
frequently. 

Beds  are  reported  5 miles  from  Mullett  Lake,  and  at  other  places. 
A sample  has  been  sent  me,  said  to  come  7 miles  from  Wolverine, 
close  to  the  county  line,  west  and  a little  south,  T.  33  N.;  R.  3 E., 
probably  near  the  Cobb  and  Mitchell  lumber  R.  R.,  extending  over 
160  acres,  and  said  to  be  enough  to  make  16,000  barrels  of  cement. 

This  deposit  or  another  near  by  has  been  described  as  occur- 
ring in  a dried  up  lake  which  has  a trout  stream  flowing  from 
it,  but  no  distinct  inlet  in  an  area  perhaps  40  rods  by  160  rods, 
and  in  thickness  7 feet  or  so.  It  is  bluish,  effervesces  freely, 
but  not  as  rapidly  as  many  marls,  and  appears  to  be  clayey  or 
magnesian.  Turns  the  acid  somewhat  amber,  mainly  from  a little 
organic  matter. 

68.  Emmet  County . 

69.  JJyyer  Peninsula. — The  marls  of  the  Upper  Peninsula  have 
been  relatively  little  investigated.  Beside  the  account  given  by  Mr. 
Hale  of  beds  near  Munising,  Wetmore,  Manistique,  Corrine,  we 
have  the  following  notes: 

At  the  World’s  Fair  in  Chicago  Dr.  W.  H.  Tucker  made  an  ex- 
hibit of  the  marls  from  Naubinway,  Mackinac  County.  He  reports 
them  to  exist  in  large  quantities,  lying  in  a bed  some  10  feet  in 
thickness,  which  is  overlain  by  but  6 inches  of  a mixture  of  marl  and 
vegetable  mould.  The  analysis  is  reported  by  him  to  be  as  follows ; 


Insoluble  matter  3.25 

Alumina  and  iron 0.52 

Carbonate  of  lime 92.79 

Carbonate  of  magnesia  2.27 

Organic  matter  by  difference 1.17 


100.00* 

Compare  the  deposit  at  Corinne  near  by  described  by  Hale,  p.  140. 
A large  deposit  of  marl  is  said  to  exist  close  to  St.  Ignace,  dis- 
covered by  John  Prophet. 


♦Report  of  the  Board  of  World’s  Fair  Managers. 


LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  AND  MILLS. 


341 


Near  Manistique  large  deposits  of  marl  are  said  to  be  controlled 
by  the  White  Marble  Lime  Co. 

North  of  Menominee,  T.  34  N.,  R.  26  E.,  there  are  said  to  be  lakes 
with  marl,  and  near  Stephenson. 

A very  good  sample  has  been  sent  in  by  W.  B.  Rosevear  from 
Drummond’s  Island. 

Houghton , Houghton-  Count g. — A small  amount  of  marl  was 
found  in  making  some  excavations  at  West  Houghton. 


Fig.  32.  Section  of  marl  deposit  at  Houghton. 


I.  Ordinary  forest  swamp  surface,  ground  covered  with  grass. 

II.  About  2 feet  of  old  rotten  timbers  fairly  well  compressed. 

III.  About  6 feet  of  very  fine  peat,  pretty  solid. 

IV.  Marl  full  of  small  shells. 

V.  Fine  clay. 

VI.  Glacial  drift. 

Mr.  W.  Y.  Savicki  gives  the  section  of  a deposit  shown  in  Fig.  32, 
perhaps  the  same,  not  far  from  the  old  Atlantic  Mill,  but  in  the 
thickest  place  exposed  only  about  a foot  thick.  It  was  exposed  in  a 
ditch  dug  in  1899  for  the  Houghton  water  supply. 

Mr.  Geo.  L.  Heath  made  the  following  analysis : 

The  marl  was  first  dried  at  105°C.  As  the  organic  matter  is 
determined  by  difference  and  as  it  is  not  altogether  certain  that  the 
lime  is  combined  as  carbonate,  or  the  potash  and  soda  as  carbonate 
instead  of  silicate  the  difference  6.81  may  be  less  than  the  real 
amount  of  organic  matter  by  a trifle. 


342 


MAUL. 


Silica  

Iron  oxide  and  trace  of 

alumina 

Potassium  oxide 

Sodium  oxide 

Calcium  oxide  

Magnesium  oxide 

Calcium  sulphate 

Loss  on  ignition,  C02 
organic  matter,  etc .... 


1.85 

1.18 

0.27 

as 

carbonate 

0.40 

0.19 

as 

carbonate 

0.32 

48.88 

as 

carbonate 

87.28 

0.78 

as 

carbonate 

1.64 

1.02 

46.33 

difference 

6.81 

Total 100.50 


Concluding  Remarks . 

It  will  be  easily  seen  that  the  foregoing  notes  are  a very  uneven 
and  imperfect  account  of  the  deposits  of  bog  lime  in  the  State. 
Yet  they  are  enough  to  show  why  they  are  so  imperfect.  Deposits  of 
bog  lime  are  everywhere  present  in  the  State,  though  most  often 
probably  in  the  higher  parts.  They  are  often  covered  by  swamp, 
and  often  difficult  of  access,  being  neither  water  nor  yet  land.  The 
resources  of  the  State  Survey  are  entirely  inadequate  to  make  a 
systematic  study  of  them,  and  we  have  depended  largely  upon  the 
investigations  of  private  parties,  incidental  observations,  and  the 
hasty  summer’s  work  of  Mr.  Hale. 

Enough  has  been  learned  to  bring  out  some  salient  points,  how- 
ever, and  show  that  there  is  no  lack  of  marl  which  should  be  more 
properly  called  bog  lime,  in  most  of  the  State.  It  is  much  higher 
in  lime,  and  lias  but  few  transitions  to  the  calcareous  clays,  which 
are  abundant  in  the  State,  and  have  just  as  good  title  to  the  name 
marl,  but  usually  run  from  30  to  40 $ of  carbonates.  Deposits  of 
surface  clays  which  run  low  in  carbonates  are  rare,  and  there  is 
usually  a fair  percentage  of  magnesia.  An  important  exception 
are  the  clays  which  are  but  weathered  shales. 

I have  concluded  to  append  together  instead  of  scattered  through 
the  text  according  to  locations  a group  of  analyses  which  are  due 
to  Prof.  Delos  Fall  of  the  Board,  and  at  the  same  time  reprint  a 
valuable  paper  which  he  presented  to  the  Michigan  Society  of  En- 
gineers, with  thq  permission  of  the  Society.  Other*  analyses  by 
Prof.  Fall  will  be  found  scattered  through  the  report,  having  been 
received  at  various  times  from  the  various  parties  for  which  he  has 
executed  them.  It  is  apparent  that  he  and  his  pupils  have  been  con- 
nected with  many  of  the  successful  enterprises  in  the  State. 


Namely:  pp.  136,  154,  304  , 305,  336. 


MARLS  AND  CLAYS  IN  MICHIGAN. 


343 


MARLS  AND  CLAYS  IN  MICHIGAN.* 


BY  DELOS  FALL,  SC.  D.,  ALBION  COLLEGE. 

Portland  cement  is  a chemical  compound  resulting  from  the 
burning  at  a temperature  of  about  3,000  degrees  Fahrenheit,  of  an 
intimate  mixture  of  a certain  definite  proportion  of  pure  limestone 
and  clay  of  a definite  condition  and  pure  quality.  The  limestone 
may  be  of  a solid  and  crystalline  form  or  in  a finely  divided  condi- 
tion, in  which  it  is  found  in  the  so-called  marl  beds  of  Michigan. 
The  clay  may  be  solid  shale  or  the  plastic  variety  that  has  resulted 
from  the  disintegration  of  the  parent  rock.  What  constitutes  a pure 
quality  for  clays  and  marls,  and  what  the  proportion  in  which  they 
are  to  be  mixed  is  a question  which  the  chemist  alone  can  deter- 
mine. 


Marl. 

The  term  “marl”  from  the  mineralogical  standpoint,  is  a mixture 
in  any  proportion  of  limestone  and  clay.  In  certain  parts  of  our 
country,  notably  in  the  southern  states,  but  not  to  my  knowledge  in 
Michigan,  this  mixture  approximates  very  closely  to  the  proportion 
required  for  a high  grade  Portland  cement.  As  the  term  is  used  with 
us,  it  applies  to  a comparatively  pure  calcium  carbonate  with  a 
certain  very  small  proportion  of  clay,  and  it  may  contain  a small 
percentage  of  magnesia  and  sulphuric  acid. 

Deposits  of  marl  are  found  in  the  beds  of  those  lakes  in  Michigan, 
which,  owing  to  their  past  histories,  are  now  surrounded  by  marsh 
lands,  the  marl  being  found  in  the  bottom  of  such  lakes,  and  ex- 
tending out  under  the  overlying  muck  or  peat.  These  beds  vary  in 
depth  from  a few  inches  at  the  edge  of  the  deposit  to  30  or  40  feet 
in  the  center.  In  places  they  are  almost  entirely  uncovered,  and  are 
exposed  to  view  in  such  a way  that  they  can  be  immediately  utilized 
without  any  expense  for  the  stripping  process  which  must  be  em- 
ployed in  all  cases  where  there  is  a covering  of  muck  or  peat.  Occa- 
sionally a layer  of  greater  or  less  thickness  is  found,  consisting  of 
decayed  organic  matter  lying  in  the  center  of  the  depth  of  the  bed, 
indicating  that  in  the  process  of  the  deposition  of  the  marl,  the  level 


*From  Michigan  Engineer,  1901,  pp.  124,  133. 


344 


MARL. 


has  alternately  risen  and  fallen.  In  some  cases  it  has  been  found  pos- 
sible, by  draining  off  the  water  of  the  lake,  to  uncover  rich  and 
extensive  beds  of  marl  with  no  other  expense  attached  to  this  stage 
of  the  work.  The  composition  of  the  marl  in  the  various  beds  in 
Michigan  varies  to  a considerable  extent.  One  bed,  which  has  been 
exhaustively  examined,  gives,  on  analysis,  average  of  fifty  samples, 
a composition  as  follows: 


Silica,  Si02  .53$ 

Alumina,  A1203  .75 

Iron  oxide,  Fe203  Trace. 

Calcium  carbonate,  CaC03  . . . 96. 

Magnesium  carbonate,  MgCOs .09 

Sulphuric  anhydride,  S03 .02 

Organic  matter 3.09 


99.90 

This  is  extremely  pure.  Marl  is  rarely  found  running  so  high 
in  calcium  carbonate,  and  so  low  in  clay,  magnesia  and  sulphuric 
acid. 

An  average  of  eighty-four  samples  from  another  bed  resulted  in 
the  following  composition,  which  may  be  taken  as  fairly  to  represent 
the  marls  of  Michigan : 


Silica,  SiO., 

QO 

© 

c4 

Iron  oxide,  Fe2Os  ) 

2.59 

Alumina,  A1203  j 

Calcium  carbonate,  CaC03  

88.06 

Magnesium  carbonate,  MgC03 

Sulphuric  anhvdride,  S03 

32 

78 

Organic  matter  

5.30 

99.13 

Exclusive  of  the  organic  matter,  the  84  samples  average  93.10$ 
of  carbonate  of  lime. 

The  above  bed  is  characterized  by  a strain  of  blue  clay  accom- 
panying the  marl.  This  is  not  a serious  adulteration  of  the  marl, 
except  that  it  will  require  more  constant  attention  from  the  chemist 
in  order  to  produce  a mixture  of  constant  composition. 

The  main  points  of  interest  concerning  prospective  value  of  marl 
for  manufacturing  purposes  are  the  proportions  existing  in  the  raw 
material  of  carbonate  of  lime,  magnesia,  sulphuric  acid,  and  organic 


MAULS  AND  CLAYS  IN  MICHIGAN 


345 


matter.  It  is  desirable  that  the  carbonate  of  lime  should  run  as 
high  as  possible,  in  order  that  there  may  be  the  largest  percentage 
available  of  this,  which  is  the  most  important  contribution  to  the 
final  composition  of  Portland  Cement.  Too  much  organic  matter 
will  lower  the  percentage  of  carbonate  of  lime,  and  clog  the  rotaries 
in  the  process  of  burning,  and,  because  of  this  fact,  will  diminish 
the  amount  of  the  finished  product  which  the  rotary  furnace  is 
capable  of  producing  per  day.  With  excessive  amount  of  organic 
matter  present  in  the  marl,  the  total  output  of  a sixty  by  six 
rotary  furnace  might  be  as  low  as  seventy-five  or  eight  barrels  per 
day,  when,  with  the  marl  containing  less  organic  matter,  say  from 
two  to  not  more  than  five  per  cent,  the  product  should  be  from  120 
to  130  barrels  per  day. 

The  presence  of  magnesia  in  the  cement  must  be  considered  dele- 
terious to  the  quality  of  the  cement,  from  the  fact  that  it  refuses 
to  unite  with  the  clay  at  the  temperature  required  for  the  burning 
of  the  cement,  and  is  left  at  the  end  of  the  process  in  the  form  of 
caustic  magnesia  MgO.  When  water  is  added  it  takes  up  that  water 
to  an  extent  which  produces  a hard  product  of  increased  volume, 
and  hence  produces  a cracking  or  disintegration  of  the  proposed 
structure.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  a percentage  of  not  more 
than  two  per  cent  is  not  considered  harmful.  The  presence  of 
sulphuric  acid  in  the  marl  and  clay,  and  its  effect  upon  the  finished 
product,  does  not  seem  to  be  appreciated  as  it  ought  to  be,  for  it  is 
noticeable  that  most  of  the  reports  of  chemists  as  to  their  analytical 
findings  give  no  mention  of  sulphuric  acid  in  the  marl.  The  chemi- 
cal analyses  should  always  state  the  presense  or  absence  of  this  in- 
gredient, and  the  proportion  in  which  it  occurs.  Sulphuric  acid  gen- 
erally occurs  in  the  form  of  calcium  sulphate  or  gypsum,  and  it  is 
well  known  that  the  presence  of  it  in  considerable  percentage,  say 
more  than  two  per  cent,  retards  the  setting  quality  of  the  cement. 
At  the  same  time,  it  possesses  no  hydraulic  qualities,  but  will  in  the 
presence  of  water  partially  dissolve  and  thus  lead  to  the  final  dis- 
integration of  the  proposed  structure. 

Michigan  Clays. 

Originally  it  was  supposed  that  the  difficult  problem  for  the 
initiation  of  a Portland  Cement  industry  was  to  discover  sufficiently 
large  beds  of  pure  marl ; indeed,  it  is  true  that  that  feature  of  the 
problem  is  not  so  easy  a task  as  many  suppose,  the  number  of  beds 
44-Pt.  Ill 


! 


34G  MAUL. 

in  Michigan  being  somewhat  limited  as  to  quantity,  accessibility, 
and  quality.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  supposed  that  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  clay  of  proper  quality  could  be  found  adjacent 
to  any  marl  bed.  Farmers  and  others  would  point  to  large  deposits 
of  clay  which  they  were  sure  would  prove  of  sufficient  purity  and 
quality  for  the  purpose.  By  this  general  tradition,  promoters  and 
investors  have  been  led  into  the  establishment  of  large  plants,  only 
to  find  that  they  must  seek  long  and  sometimes  unsuccessfully  for 
clay  of  the  proper  material.  Not  all  clay  will  make  a good  Port- 
land Cement.. 

Clay  is  essentially  a silicate  of  aluminum  but  rarely  occurs  with- 
out the  admixture  of  iron  oxide,  calcium  carbonate,  or  sulphate, 
and  sometimes  magnesia.  While  calcium  carbonate  must  be  used 
in  the  mixture  for  cement  making,  its  presence  in  the  clay  com- 
plicates to  a large  degree  the  problem  of  the  chemist  in  making  that 
mixture,  and  more  especially  maintaining  the  mixture  in  a uniform 
and  constant  composition.  Many  of  our  clays  run  too  high  in 
alumina,  making,  upon  burning,  a quick  setting  cement,  not  so  dur- 
able and  permanent  as  that  produced  from  a clay  containing  a less 
amount  of  alumina.  The  following  analysis  of  a Michigan  clay 
will  aptly  illustrate  this  point: 


Silica,  Si02 G0.1$ 

Alumina,  A1203 20.73 

Iron  oxide,  Fe203  5.18 

Lime,  CaO 1.19 

Magnesia,  MgO  .44 

Sulphuric  anhydride,  SO...  3.35 

Loss  on  ignition S.1G 


99.15$ 

This  analysis  illustrates  another  bad  feature  existing  in  some 
Michigan  clays,  namely,  the  too  large  percentage  of  sulphuric  acid. 

The  3.35  per  cent  of  sulphuric  anhydride  present  in  this  clay  repre- 
sents 5.G  per  cent  of  calcium  sulphate,  and  this  in  the  mixture  with 
marl  would  bring  the  percentage  very  near  to  two  per  cent,  which 
might  be  considered  to  be  the  limit  permissible  for  that  ingredient. 
The  analysis  above  given  would  be  almost  ideal  if  the  alumina  ran  at 
from  six  to  ten  per  cent,  and  the  SO.. was  lower  or  altogether  absent. 

Clays  should  contain  very  little  free  sand,  iron  oxide,  or  organic 
matter.  It  should  have  a tendency  to  gelatinize  when  treated  with 


MAULS  AND  CLAYS  IN  MICHIGAN. 


347 


acids.  The  silica  must  be  combined  and  not  free,  for  the  reason 
that  at  the  temperature  at  the  command  of  the  cement-maker,  free 
silica  will  not  combine  to  form  a silicate  of  lime  which  is  the  essen- 
tial ingredient  in  Portland  cement.  About  sixty  per  cent  of  the 
clay  should  be  silica. 

Three  classes  of  clay  found  in  Michigan  are  illustrated  by  the 
following  analyses  from  my-  laboratory  note  book : 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

No.  3. 

Silica,  SiO., 

. . . 49.3G 

60.70 

71.84 

Alumina,  A190.>  . . . . 

...  10.30 

20.92 

15.53 

Iron  oxide,  Feo0«  . . . 

3.90 

7.06 

3.57 

Cal.  car.,  CaC03 

. . . 31.01 

.73 

.75 

Mag.  car.,  MgC03  . . 

1.77 

None. 

Trace. 

Sul.  triox.,  SOo 

3.15 

.60 

1.24 

Organic  matter 

1.00 

9.89 

5.68 

100.49 

99.90 

98.61 

No.  1 possesses  the  great  disadvantage  of  a variable  quantity  of 
calcium  carbonate,  the  fact  that  the  relation  of  this  to  the  clay 
itself  is  that  of  a mere  mixture  growing  out  of  accidental  and  there- 
fore varying  conditions  making  it  very  certain  that  no  two  samples 
of  the  same  bed  would  show  the  same  composition.  The  clay  is  also 
imperfect  from  the  presence  of  a high  percentage  of  calcium 
sulphate.  The  temperature  at  which  proper  calcination  would  take 
place  can  scarcely  be  inferred,  but  it  would  probably  be  high.  Clay 
]STo.  2 is  a good  clay;  it  wi#ll  burn  at  low  temperature  and  be  economi- 
cal of  fuel.  It  is  rather  high  in  alumina  and  would  make  a quick 
setting  cement.  Its  setting  quality  could  be  retarded  by  the  addition 
of  a small  percentage  of  gypsum. 

Clay  No.  3 is  too  high  in  silica;  the  temperature  required  for  the 
calcination  would  necessarily  be  very  high,  the  excessive  tempera- 
ture being  hard  to  acquire  and  very  disastrous  to  the  life  of  the 
rotary. 

Discussion. 

Mr.  Lane. — There  are  many  kinds  of  marl  in  the  State, — one 
kind  and  another,  and  the  question  of  clay  is  an  important  one.  One 
advice  I should  give — if  I were  to  give  advice — would  be  to  call  in 
the  services  of  a chemist;  but  before  starting  to  get  your  chemist, 
it  might  be  well  to  make  a few  preliminary  tests  yourself.  Now 


348 


MAUL 


there  are  two  simple  tests,  which,  if  applied  might  prevent  two- 
thirds  of  the  samples  sent  to  my  office  from  ever  being  sent.  In 
the  first  test,  if  yon  can  feel  grit  when  you  chew  the  clay,  feel  the 
clay  in  your  teeth,  probably  it  is  not  worth  investigating.  In  the 
second  place  testing  it  with  hot  acid,  if  there  is  a good  deal  of  lime, 
it  is  likely  to  mean  more  or  less  magnesia,  and  certainly  a good 
deal  of  trouble  for  the  chemist.  Ordinary  vinegar  or  anything  hot 
and  sour,  is  not  bad  to  test  it  with,  if  you  happen  to  be  in.  the  woods. 
These  two  tests  will  rule  out  a good  many  clays.  Another  point 
is  the  question  of  coal  to  be  used,  which  certainly  is  important. 
I think  there  is  Michigan  coal  that  ought  to  be  good  enough  to 
answer  the  purpose.  I have  seen  samples  of  Michigan  coal,  taken 
from  near  Saginaw,  which  show  very  little  ash  and  very  little 
sulphur,  and  I think  ought  to  be  quite  good. 

Professor  Campbell. — I will  say  that  in  our  own  work  here  we 
have  undertaken  in  the  past  couple  of  years  to  do  a little  work  on 
cement,  though  our  experiments  have  not  taken  us  far  enough  along 
to  draw  any  reliable  conclusions.  We  are  trying  to  study  a few  of 
the  conditions  which  exist.  In  the  course  of  that  we  have  analyzed 
a number  of  samples  of  clay  and  marl,  and  in  the  synthetic  work 
that  we  are  trying  to  do,  we  are  trying  to  control  the  different 
factors  which  determine  the  property  of  the  cement.  The  chemical 
composition  is  only  one.  It  is  well  known  that  the  proportions  are 
very  close  between  the  different  elements*  which  have  to  be  main- 
tained in  the  mixture,  but  this  is  only  one  of  the  various  factors 
which  we  are  working  on.  One  factor  is  the  time  limit,  the  time 
for  which  the  material  is  subjected  to  a given  heat,  say  2,300  degrees 
Fahrenheit,  will  give  the  same  result  as  a shorter  time  at  2,700  or 
2,900  degrees.*  These  are  some  of  the  problems  on  which  we  are  try- 
ing to  throw  a little  light;  but  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  long- 
time tests.  One  of  the  great  troubles  that  we  find  in  studying  the 
tests  that  are  made,  is  the  short-time  tests  that  are  used  in  making 
cement  tests.  They  are  usually  from  24  hours  to  28  days,  most  of 
them  not  exceeding  28  days  in  time,  which  seems  like  nothing  to  me 
to  determine  the  property  of  cement.  We  have  had  a few  from 
three  to  six  months,  and  a year,  and  some  that  we  had  kept  longer. 
Cement  will  change  very  much  after  three  months,  and  after  six 
months.  We  have  had  cement  that  would  gain  steadily  up  to  three 
months,  then  drop  off  at  six  months,  after  that  gain  again,  so  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  draw  conclusions  from  a short-time  test.  Now 


*See  “Some  preliminary  experiments  upon  the  clinkering  of  Portland  Cement,”  by  E. 
D.  Campbell,  Journal  Am.  Chemical  Society.  Vol.  XXIV,  No.  10,  Oct.  1902. 


MARLS  AND  CLAYS  IN  MICHIGAN. 


349 


this  question  of  magnesia  is  a vital  one.  In  one  case,  for  instance, 
we  have  made  cement  with  as  high  as  6.90  per  cent  and  after  six 
months’  test,  the  cement  has  been  gaining  with  no  signs  of  deteriora- 
tions as  yet.  Whether  this  will  continue,  or  whether  it  will  com- 
mence to  deteriorate  after  a year  or  two,  time  will  tell.  I do  not 
feel  like  expressing  much  of  an  opinion  on  the  clay  that  is  best 
adapted  to  cement  work,  because  the  longer  we  work  on  it,  the  less 
I feel  we  know  or  are  able  to  pass  an  opinion  on.  I have  had  occas- 
ion two  or  three  times  to  change  my  own  opinion  after  working 
awhile.  While  some  experiments  will  lead  to  the  idea  that  clay 
should  have  a certain  proportion  of  aluminum,  silica,  etc.,  other 
clays  that  at  first  are  thought  to  be  not  at  all  satisfactory  will  give 
equally  good  results.  So  I do  not  feel  like  expressing  my  opinion 
very  strongly  as  to  what  an  ideal  clay  or  marl  should  be. 

Mr.  Lane. — I would  like  to  ask  if  you  have  made  any  experiments 
as  to  the  influence  of  the  fineness  of  grinding. 

Professor  Campbell. — We  always  try  to  grind  to  the  same  degree 
of  fineness  and  test  the  fineness.  To  give  an  idea  of  a single  property 
of  the  cement,  the  time  of  setting,  for  instance.  I think  there  are 
not  less  than  six  different  factors  that  determine  the  time  of  setting, 
and  every  one  of  these  may  vary,  so  that  it  is  hard  to  get  at  the  exact 
benefits  of  a single  factor.  It  will  undoubtedly  be  years  before  we 
can  get  at  the  true  nature  of  what  cements  are,  and  the  influence 
of  the  different  factors  on  the  properties  of  cement.  Portland 
cement  is  extremely  sensitive  to  water,  and  quite  a difference  will 
be  produced  by  the  addition  of  a little  water. 

Mr.  Russell. — By  the  addition  of  a little  water  when  you  have 
reached  the  turning  point,  it  is  remarkable  how  the  strength  runs 
down.  The  man  who  works  for  a dollar  a day  says,  '‘Turn  on  more 
water,”  and  “That  is  enough”  and  it  is  impossible  to  induce  people 
to  see  that  their  structure  would  be  very  much  better  if  they  would 
understand  that  there  were  quantitative  relations  between  the  water 
and  the  cement,  and  that  they  might  learn  that  lesson  from  those 
who  are  able  to  give  it,  and  their  work  would  be  very  much  bettered 
by  it. 

Mr.  Brigden. — What  is  the  least  amount  of  water  possible  to  make 
a good  mixture? 

Mr.  Russell. — Well,  you  can  work  with  a trowel  a neat  cement 
with  something  like  22  per  cent,  can  you  not,  Professor  Campbell? 


350 


MABL. 


Prof.  Campbell.— That  is  as  low  as  you  often  get.  If  you  go  much 
beyond  that,  say  23  per  cent,  it  will  run  the  tensile  strength  down 
to  a remarkable  degree  and  impair  the  structure. 

Mr.  Brigden. — I think  the  man  with  the  hoe  has  the  better  end 
of  the  argument  in  almost  every  case,  whether  the  work  is  done  by 
the  contract  or  by  the  day;  you  can  stand  and  watch  him,  and  you 
will  occasionally  hear  from  the  bottom  of  the  trench,  “This  is  too 
stiff,”  or  “This  is  too  wet,”  etc.  I know  but  little  about  the  matter 
of  cement  or  its  development.  I can  hardly  understand  what  Mr. 
Greene  meant  when  he  said  there  seemed  to  be  a large  opening  for 
the  manufacture  of  water  pipe  from  cement.  I had  supposed,  and 
I think  I have  good  authority  for  that  supposition,  that  the  use 
of  cement-lined  pipe  (if  that  is  what  he  means)  was  going  entirely 
out  of  date,  and  that  cast  iron  was  used  for  water  mains,  and  I 
think  that  is  true  of  every  portion  of  the  United  States  east  of  the 
Mississippi  River. 

Mr.  Rogers. — I would  like  to  ask  Prof.  Campbell  something  about 
the  practical  methods  for  the  engineer  to  determine  whether  there  is 
too  much  magnesia  in  the  cement  or  not,  if  he  has  only  a few  days 
or  a month  or  so  to  test  the  cement  before  he  has  to  use  it. 

Prof.  Campbell. — I cannot  give  a method  that  would  be  entirely 
satisfactory,  because  a great  many  of  the  difficulties  that  are  often 
attributed  to  magnesia  in  the  way  of  expansion,  I think  are  not  due 
to  magnesia  at  all ; so  I do  not  as  yet  think  there  is  any  entirely 
satisfactory  test.  Of  course,  the  chemist’s  analysis  Avill  show  the 
per  cent  of  magnesia  in  the  cement;  but  then  the  old  question  comes 
up  again  as  to  what  per  cent  is  allowable.  That  is  the  question  that 
we  are  working  on  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Whitney. — In  regard  to  this  question  of  mixing  cements,  I 
think  one  feature  that  is  often  overlooked,  and  it  may  be  because  of 
the  contractor’s  haste  or  tendency  to  save,  is  thaU  long  mixing  has 
a good  deal  to  do  with  the  strength  of  the  cement,  that  is,  after  the 
water  is  put  on  to  the  cement  and  mixed  with  the  sand,  the  mixture 
grinds  the  cement  finer  and  makes  the  water  appear  milky,  and  when 
that  condition  prevails,  you  will  find  the  strength  pf  the  cement  is 
a great  deal  more.  I want  to  say  a word  about  marl  beds.  I have 
had  some  experience  the  last  two  years,  and  have  probably  made 
something  like  fifteen  hundred  soundings.  In  the  question  of 
sounding  marl  beds,  there  are  two  or  three  points  of  interest  that 
may  be  brought  out.  They  vary  as  to  their  depth  where  sometimes 
we  would  least  expect  it,  and  the  bottom  of  them  is  so  irregular 


MARLS  AND  CLAYS  IN  MICHIGAN. 


351 

that  sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  take  soundings  quite  close  to- 
gether. Another  thing  is  that  there  is  a good  deal  of  difference  in 
the  appearance  of  marls.  Some  will  be  yellow  as  ordinary  corn 
meal,  and  very  mealy  and  be  very  poor  marl,  and  there  will  be  some 
that  is  nearly  white,  and  some  that  you  will  first  feel  like  throwing 
out,  when,  upon  a careful  examination,  you  will  find  that  it  is  pure 
marl,  but  not  so  finely  disintegrated.  Then  again  you  will  run 
across  sand  that  is  a little  closer  to  the  surface  than  you  hoped 
to  find  it,  and  you  have  got  to  be  rather  particular  to  know  when 
you  strike  it.  Often  you  will  find  marl  in  the  condition  of  nodules*, 
and  the  person  sounding  will  be  almost  sure  he  has  struck  gravel; 
he  can  hear  it  grate,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  to  turn  an  augur 
through  it ; it  takes  a pretty  good  job  of  well-driving,  sometimes,  to 
get  through  a small  layer  of  it.  There  is  one  other  fact  I might 
mention,  that  of  course  would  be  easily  observed,  and  that  is  that 
around  the  mouth  of  streams  flowing  into  lakes  where  there  are 
marl  deposits,  there  is  apt  to  be  a layer  of  organic  matter  over  the 
marl,  sometimes  very  deep,  sometimes  quite  deep,  and  sometimes 
mixed  with  the  marl  and  extending  quite  a way.  I would  also 
say  that  in  sounding  with  augurs,  it  is  sometimes  quite  desirable 
to  have  two  sizes  of  augurs,  as  there  is  often  a good  deal  of  suction 
which  pulls  off  the  material  at  the  bottom,  and  gives  you,  when  you 
pull  it  up,  the  material  from  the  top.  Of  course  the  use  of  a go- 
devil  is  something  by  which  you  can  take  up  samples  from  any 
depth,  and  is  quite  valuable.  Where  there  is  a mixture  of  clay  it  is 
quite  apt  to  be  found  toward  the  bottom,  and  one  can  rapidly  detect 
it  by  the  color  or  by  the  feeling  or  the  appearance  of  the  augur  when 
it  is  pulled  up,  and  of  course  the  per  cent  of  clay  can  be  actually 
determined  by  a chemical  analysis. 


* Probably  Schizothrix.  elsewhere  described,  p.  90. 


352 


MAUL. 


CLAY  ANALYSES. 


Analyst. 

Delos  Fall. 

A.  N. 
Clark. 

Fall. 

No 

601  to  604 

822 

635 

SiC>2  Silica 

62.65 

69.72 

69.00 

75.10 

12.35 

Alumina 

23.06 

18.96 

15.16 

Iron  oxide 

6.82 

1.29 

5.00 

8.21 

1.13 

Calcium  as  Cxide 

1.02 

.40 

.80 

Magnesium  as  oxide 

.11 

tr. 

3.36 

Sulphuric  anhydride 

4.23 

1.13 

2.42 

Organic  matter 

2.22 

Difference 

7.76 

6.68 

100.11 

99.26 

100.00 

99.21 

Nos.  601  to  604  represents  the  average  of  4 clay  samples,  from  near  Athens. 

No.  822.  Jackson,  probably  a coal  measure  shale  clay,  rather  too  high  in  silica. 
An  analysis  by  Mr.  Clark. 

635.  Kalamazoo  county  clay. 


MARL  ANALYSES. 


Analyst.  Delos  Fall. 

No 

327  to  424 

819 

820 

Si02 

.53 

.58 

60 

Alumina 

.754 

.76 

70 

Calcium  as  oxide 

52.61 

as  carbonate 

(93.91) 

20.90 

94.75 

75.06 

Magnesium  as  oxide 

.09 

tr 

as  carbonate  

(1.88) 

Sulphuric  anhydride 

.62 

1.24 

as  calcium  sulphate .... 

P205 

Organic  matter  and  carbon  dioxide 

42.28 

W ater 

Difference 

3.12 

Nos.  327  to  424  is  an  analysis  representing  the  average  of  14  samples  from  Lime  Lake. 

Nos.  819  and  820  represent  the  average  of  25  borings  at  Spring  Arbor,  the  Pyramid  Portland 
Cement  Co.  location. 


MARL  ANALYSES. 


Analyst.  Delos  Fall. 

No 

425 

426 

427 

428 

506  to  886 

740 

743 

Silica 

2.658 

.371 

.332 

.452 

2.08 

.645 

.61 

Alumina 

2.658 

.721 

.729 

1.563 

2.59 

2.22 

1.90 

flaloinm  n.ci  f'.a.rhnnsit.ft  

86.373 

84.973 

86.439 

89.675 

88.06 

94.18 

93.81 

Magnesium  as  carbonate  

tr. 

tr. 

tr. 

.50 

.32 

.234 

.19 

Sulphuric  anhydride 

.78 

.201 

.22 

Organic  ) 

vy  at<ir  > 

8.351 

13.935 

12.001 

8.31 

5.30 

nifff>i,pnr>p  j 

100.040 

100.000 

99.501 

100.500 

99.13 

97.480 

96.73 

Nos.  425  to  428  are  from  Goose  Lake.  See  p.  233. 

Nos.  506  to  886  represent  the  average  of  analyses  of  84  samples  from  Athens,  T.  4 
S.,  R.  8 E.;  the  iron  included  with  the  alumina. 


MARLS  AND  CLAYS  IN  MICHIGAN. 


353 


FISH  LAKE  MARL  ANALYSES. 


Analyst.  Delos  Fall. 

No 

688 

689 

690 

691 

692 

693 

694 

695 

Insoluble  Si02 

Alumina 

Iron 

.54 

.82 

tr. 

94.33 

none 

1.12 

.77 

.64 

tr. 

949.4 

none 

.87 

.41 

.38 

tr. 

93.35 

none 

.44 

.38 

.60 

tr, 

95.42 

none 

.87 

.26 

.38 

tr. 

94.21 

none 

.80 

.22 

.55 

tr. 

98.86 

none 

.75 

.06 

.5 

.24 

.54 

Calcium  as  carbonate 

Magnesia 

Sulphuric  anhydride 

92.12 

none 

1.10 

90.52 

none 

.82 

KALAMAZOO  COUNTY  MARL  ANALYSES.— Nos.  622  to  638,  except  635. 


Analyst.  Delos  Fall. 


No. 


622 


624 


625 


926 


627 


628 


629 


630 


Insoluble  Silica 

Alumina 

Calcium  carbonate  in  Ing  marl, 

as  carbonate 

MgO 

SO3 


3.47 

3.32 

90.22 

80.93 

tr. 

1.98 


.82 

.34 

92.11 

A 

.8 


1.68 

1.95 


92.47 

.0 

1.39 


2.38 

1.25 

92.52 

88.16 

.0 

.75 


1.70 

3.04 

92.55 

87.33 

.07 

1-29 


2.40 

2.46 

91.19 

86.84 

.0 

3.52 


1.86 

2.60 

94.15 

92.21 

.0 

1 26 


1.33 

3.52 

9L38 

tr. 

1.82 


Analyst.  Delos  Fall. 

No 

631 

632 

633 

634 

636 

6.37 

6.38 

Insoluble  Silica 

1.36 

.58 

3.4 

clay 

1.64 

1.16 

3.21 

3.61 

Soluble  Silica 

Alumina 

2.10 

.90 

4.05 

1.95 

2.40 

4.07 

4.04 

Iron  oxide 

Calcium  as  oxide 

tr. 

as  sulphate 

as  carbonate 

91.26 

92  34 

88.98 

88.28 

91.86 

88.18 

90.77 

Magnesium  as  oxide 

as  carbonate 

0. 

mere 

0. 

1.36 

0. 

0. 

0. 

Sulphuric  anhydride 

.96 

2.11 

trace 

1.40 

1.53 

4.49 

2.02 

45-Pt.  Ill 


CHAPTEB  X. 


METHODS  OF,  AND  COMMENTS  ON  TESTING  CEMENT. 

BY  RICHARD  L.  HUMPHREY. 

Structures  of  masonry  or  concrete  owe  their  stability  almost  en- 
tirely to  the  character  of  the  substance  which  binds  or  cements  to- 
gether the  brick,  stone,  and  other  materials  used  in  their  construc- 
tion. 

From  the  earliest  times,  therefore,  there  has  been  an  almost 
constant  endeavor  to  obtain  some  material  which  would  attain 
great  strength  in  a very  short  period  of  time  and  which  would  re- 
sist the  forces  which  tend  to  disintegrate  or  decompose  it.  Such 
a material  must  harden  rapidly,  equally  well  in  air  or  water  and 
have  great  adhesive  qualities. 

The  material  used  in  the  earlier  structures  consisted  of  a mix- 
ture of  sulphate  of  lime  (gypsum)  and  sand  (the  latter  usually  of  a 
volcanic  origin)  or  a mixture  of  lime  and  volcanic  ash  or  trass  and 
sand. 

Such  mortars  required  considerable  time  to  harden  and  also 
protection  during  the  initial  stage  of  hardening  from  rain  and 
frost,  which  readily  dissolved  and  disintegrated  them. 

It  was  necessary  therefore  to  frequently  renew  the  mortar  in 
masonry  by  pointing,  unless  sufficient  carbonic  acid  had  been  ab- 
sorbed from  the  air  to  convert  the  lime  into  a carbonate,  in  which 
form  it  offered  greater  resistance  to  the  weather. 

This  material  proved  very  unsatisfactory  even  wrhen  carefully 
used  and  protected  from  the  weather  during  the  early  stages  of 
hardening,  and  at  best  was  only  meagrely  hydraulic. 

The  most  satisfactory  results  were  obtained  with  Roman  Cement, 
a mixture  of  fat  lime  and  a volcanic  ash.  With  the  downfall  of  the 
Roman  Empire  the  art  of  making  this  cement  was  lost  and  subse- 
quent experimenters  endeavored  to  recover  and  to  equal  or  excel 
this  Roman  Cement.  As  these  efforts  became  fruitful  of  results 
and  the  quality  of  the  mortar  improved,  it  became  necessary  to  de- 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


355 


vise  some  means  by  which  the  relative  value  of  different  mortars 
could  be  determined. 

The  present  system  of  testing  may  be  said  to  have  begun  with 
the  experiments  of  John  Smeaton  in  1756,  in  connection  with  the 
rebuilding  of  the  Eddy  stone  Lighthouse.  Smeaton  in  his  endeav- 
ors to  obtain  a cement  which  would  harden  under  water  made 
cements  from  various  materials  and  tested  their  hydraulic  quali- 
ties by  immersing  small  pats  or  cakes,  made  of  the  cement,  under 
water. 


F,g  + 


Pig.  33.  Apparatus  for  determining  the  adhesive  strength  of  mortars. 


Later  Pasley  measured  the  adhesive  qualities  of  mortars  by 
sticking  two  bricks  together  and  determining  the  force  required 
to  pull  them  apart.  See  Fig.  33  (2). 

He  also  determined  this  same  property  by  building  out  from  a 
wall,  horizontally,  as  many  bricks  as  possible  in  a given  time. 
See  Fig.  34  (1). 

*In  accordance  with  our  custom  all  illustrations  printed  with  the  text  are  figures.  In  this 
paper  a number  of  the  figures  are  reduced  from  plates  containing  a number  of  figures,  the 
numbers  referring  to  which  are  placed  in  parentheses 


356 


MAUL. 


This  test  was  more  properly  a test  for  determining  the  rate  of 
setting. 


Fig.  34.  Illustrations  of  apparatus  in  cement  tests. 

Vicat  gauged  the  relative  hardness  of  his  mortars  by  measuring 
the  penetration  of  a weighted  needle  falling  from  a given  height. 


Fig.  35.  Vicat  needle  as  originally  designed. 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


357 


The  apparatus  which  he  devised  for  this  purpose  is  shown  in 
Fig.  35. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  1858  that  a definite  system  for  testing 
was  evolved.  In  that  year  John  Grant,  the  Engineer  in  charge  of 
the  London  Main  Drainage  System  proposed  the  tests  by  which 
the  cement  used  in  this  work  was  inspected. 

This  marked  the  beginning  of  systematic  tests  of  cement.  The 
evolution  from  these  few  simple  tests  has  been  rapid;  at  present 
there  are  numerous  tests  in  use,  all  more  or  less  rational,  many 
impractical  and  none  entirely  satisfactory. 

It  is  to  be  noted,  however,  that  the  extreme  methods  formerly  in 
vogue  are  becoming  less  used,  and  the  better  informed  engineers 
are  adopting  less  radical  and  more  simple  tests. 

During  this  period  in  the  development  in  the  methods  for  mak- 
ing tests,  the  manufacturer  has  been  forced  to  meet  tests  of  con- 
stantly increasing  severity.  As  a result  the  quality  of  the  cement, 
particularly  of  the  American  Portland,  has  been  so  greatly  im- 
proved that  today  the  manufacturer  is  able  to  produce  a material, 
capable  of  attaining  great  hardness  in  a few  hours  and  exceeding 
in  a few  months  the  strength  attained  by  ancient  mortars  after 
2,000  or  more  years. 

Indeed  the  quality  of  the  modern  Portland  Cement  has  improved 
so  considerably  that  it  has  engendered  a greater  confidence  on  the 
part  of  the  Engineer,  resulting  in  a rapid  extension  of  its  field  of 
usefulness.  So  great  is  the  varied  application  of  cement  in  con- 
struction that  some  one  has  truly  said,  “We  are  on  the  threshold 
of  the  Cement  Age.” 

In  Fig.  44  is  shown  the  relative  strengths  of  the  modern  high 
grade  Portland  Cement,  cement  of  the  time  of  Grant,  common 
lime  mortar  etc.,  which  illustrates  the  marked  superiority  of  the 
modern  cement. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  quality  of  cement  has  been  vastly  im- 
proved, the  methods  for  making  the  tests  are  still  crude  and  leave 
much  to  be  desired.  Nor  are  the  tests  sufficiently  defined  to  enable 
the  novice  to  follow  them  with  satisfactory  results.  It  is  only 
after  considerable  experience  that  sufficient  skill  is  acquired  which 
permits  of  even  approximately  satisfactory  results. 

To  define  a system  of  testing  which  will  serve  as  a reliable  guide 
for  novice  and  expert  alike  in  determining  the  qualities  of  cement 
is  a problem  of  no  little  difficulty. 


358 


MARL. 


The  object  in  testing  cement  is  first  to  ascertain  whether  the 
quality  is  up  to  a certain  prescribed  standard  (the  specifications), 
and  second  for  purposes  of  research. 

The  inspection  and  testing  of  cement  is  an  art  requiring  consid- 
erable experience  and  much  skill.  The  difficulty  in  making  the 
tests  lies  almost  wholly  in  the  “personal  equation”  of  the  person 
who  makes  the  tests,  a variable  which  renders  the  results  of  such 
tests  not  only  relative  but  inaccurate. 

Another  difficulty  in  the  inspection  of  cement  is  the  fact,  that 
a cement  having  passed  satisfactory  tests  at  the  place  of  manu- 
facture is  no  guarantee  that  the  cement  will  yield  the  same  or  even 
as  satisfactory  tests  at  the  place  of  consumption,  even  should  the 
same  person  make  the  tests.  From  the  moment  the  clinker  is  re- 
duced to  an  impalpable  powder  until  it  is  made  into  a mortar  or 
concrete  and  becomes  a part  of  the  structure,  its  physical  and 
chemical  properties  are  constantly  undergoing  changes  which  af- 
fect its  value  as  a building  material.  It  is  doubtful  whether  these 
changes  ever  cease.  The  cement  being  to  a greater  or  less  extent 
affected  by  external  influences  tending  to  decompose  the  mass  or 
by  internal  influences  tending  to  disintegrate  it. 

The  selection  of  methods  for  testing  is  not  so  easy  as  it  would 
at  first  appear.  The  system  should  not  depend  on  cumbersome 
methods  or  expensive  apparatus.  The  number  of  tests  should  be. 
few  and  simple  in  execution. 

The  inspection  of  cement  may  be  divided  into  two  classes  (1)  the 
mill  tests  or  those  made  at  the  place  of  manufacture,  and  (2)  tests 
of  acceptance  or  those  made  at  the  place  of  consumption.  The  lat- 
ter can  be  further  subdivided  into  field  and  laboratory  tests. 

In  the  first  class  are  those  made  by  the  manufacturer  to  check 
the  quality  of  his  product  and  are  usually  as  severe  as  it  is  possible 
to  make  them,  especially  as  regards  constancy  of  volume. 

This  is  due  to  a desire  on  the  part  of  the  manufacturer  to  thor- 
oughly test  the  quality  of  his  cement  before  it  is  shipped. 

The  methods  for  making  the  tests  in  both  classes  are,  however, 
the  same.  The  tests  in  general  use  are  for  the  determination  of 
fineness,  time  of  setting,  tensile  strength,  neat  and  with  a stand- 
ard sand,  for  24  hours,  7 and  28  days,  together  with  the  cold  water 
pat  test,  and  some  form  of  accelerated  test,  usually  the  so  called 
“Boiling  test.”  In  addition  to  these,  the  determination  of  specific 
gravity  and  a chemical  analysis  of  the  finished  product  are  made 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


359 


at  the  mill  at  regular  intervals;  most  mills  make  at  least  one  com- 
plete analysis  of  the  product  each  day  in  order  to  check  the  com- 
position. 

Where  analyses  are  required  on  work  not  possessing  the  requisite 
facilities  they  should  be  made  by  some  well  established  chemical 
laboratory. 

While  the  methods  used  by  the  consumer  or  manufacturer  are 
the  same  the  number  of  tests  made  are  modified  to  suit  the  time 
available  for  the  purpose  and  the  facilities. 

The  standard  for  gauging  the  results  of  the  tests  of  acceptance 
for  determining  the  value  of  a cement  for  the  purposes  for  which 
it  is  to  be  used  is  the  specifications.  The  requirements  of  this 
specification  should  be  based  on  the  results  obtained  by  the  per- 
sons who  make  the  tests.  Before  fixing  these  requirements  it 
should  be  first  ascertained  what  results  can  be  obtained  from  well 
known  brands  of  cement  by  the  persons  making  the  tests.  Upon 
these  results  should  be  based  the  requirements  of  the  specifications. 

The  scope  of  the  tests  to  be  made  will  depend  on  the  facilities 
and  the  importance  of  the  work.  In  permanent  laboratories  the 
testing  should  be  systematic  and  thorough.  Such  a system  will  now  be 
described  in  more  or  less  detail,  indicating  where  it  may  be  modi- 
fied to  suit  other  conditions. 


SAMPLING. 

The  selection  of  the  sample  from  which  the  tests  are  to  be  made 
while  apparently  a very  simple  matter  is  one  of  considerable  im- 
portance and  should  therefore  be  carefully  done. 

At  the  time  of  sampling  a note  should  be  made  of  the  condition 
of  the  cement,  i.  e.,  whether  cement  is  lumpy,  caked  or  otherwise 
damaged. 

The  sample  should  be  taken  from  the  heart  of  the  package  as  the 
outer  portion  is  sometimes  more  or  less  impaired. 

About  one  barrel  in  every  ten  should  be  sampled. 

Where  the  cement  is  delivered  in  barrels  the  sample  can  be 
drawn  through  a hole  made  in  one  of  the  staves  midway  between 
the  heads  by  means  of  an  auger  or  sampling  iron  similar  to  the 
ones  used  by  sugar  inspectors,  Fig.  36  (9. ) if  the  shipment  is  in  bags, 
the  sample  is  taken  from  the  heart  of  the  package  with  the  hand, 
or  a scoop. 

When  the  sample  is  taken  at  the  place  of  manufacture  it  should 
be  done  regularly  as  it  comes  from  the  mill  and  goes  into  the  bin. 


360 


MABL. 


Where  cement  is  held  in  storage  pending  the  result  of  the  tests, 
it  should  be  protected  from  the  weather,  in  order  to  prevent  its 
being  damaged. 

The  samples  should  be  passed  through  a sieve  having  twenty  or 
thirty  meshes  per  lineal  inch  in  order  to  remove  the  lumps  and 
foreign  matter.  This  is  also  a very  efficient  means  of  mixing 
the  individual  samples  in  case  an  average  sample  is  desired;  where 
time  will  permit,  the  individual  samples  should  be  tested  separately 
in  addition  to  the  test  on  the  averaged  samples. 


CHEMICAL  ANALYSIS. 

Systematic  chemical  analyses  of  cement  should  be  made  in  all 
permanent  laboratories,  not  with  a view  of  eventually  introducing 
into  specifications  chemical  requirements  (other  than  those  for 
sulphuric  acid  and  possibly  magnesia)  but  in  order  that  we  may 
have  some  data  pertaining  to  the  composition  of  the  cement  when 
studying  the  results  of  the  long  time  tests. 

Chemical  analyses  are  chiefly  valuable  to  the  manufacturer.  The 
determination  of  silica,  of  iron  and  alumina  and  of  lime  is  of  little 
value  as  an  indication  of  quality.  They  furnish  valuable  aid  in 
detecting  adulterations  with  inert  material  in  considerable  quan- 
tity and  in  determining  the  quantity  of  certain  deleterious  con- 
stituents as  magnesia  and  sulphuric  anhydride. 

The  following  scheme  of  chemical  analysis  is  recommended: 

One  half  gram  of  the  finely  pulverized  sample,  dried  at  100°  C., 
is  thoroughly  mixed  with  four  or  five  times  its  weight  in  sodium 
carbonate,  and  fused  in  a platinum  crucible  until  carbon  dioxide, 
C02,  no  longer  escapes;  the  crucible  and  its  contents  is  placed  in  a 
beaker  and  twenty  or  thirty  times  its  quantity  of  water,  and  about 
10  cubic  centimeters  of  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  (HOI)  is  added; 
when  complete  solution  is  effected,  it  is  transferred  to  a casserole 
and  placed  on  a water  bath,  and  evaporated  to  dryness  several 
times.  The  mass  is  taken  up  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  HC1, 
and  water,  heated  for  a short  time  and  filtered,  washing  the  resi- 
due on  the  filter  thoroughly  with  hot  water.  The  filter  is  dried, 
ignited  and  weighed.  This  weight  (less  ash)  gives  the  amount  of 
silica,  Si02. 

The  filtrate  is  brought  to  boiling,  and  ammonia  is  added  in  slight 
excess;  the  boiling  is  continued  until  the  odor  of  ammonia  is  no 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


361 


longer  perceptible.  Filter  and  wash,  re -dissolve  in  hot  dilute  HC1, 
again  precipitate  with  ammonia  and  filter  through  the  previous 
filter  and  wash  with  boiling  water.  The  precipitate  dried,  ignited 
and  weighed,  less  ash  gives  the  amount  of  alumina,  A1203,  and 
ferric  oxide,  Fe203. 

The  iron  is  determined  volumetrically  by  fusing  the  ignited  pre- 
cipitates of  alumina  and  iron  with  de  hydrated  potassium  sulphate 
in  the  platinum  crucible,  it  is  then  dissolved  in  sulphuric  acid  and 
titrated  with  potassium  permanganate. 

The  filtrate  from  the  iron  and  alumina  is  heated  to  boiling,  and 
boiling  ammonium  oxalate  is  added  until  a precipitate  is  no  longer 
formed.  After  boiling  for  a few  minutes  it  is  set  aside  for  a short 
time,  when  the  precipitate  has  settled  perfectly,  decant  the  clear 
liquid  through  a filter,  wash  by  decantation,  dissolve  the  precipi- 
tate in  hot  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  HC1,  using  as  small  a quantity 
as  possible  to  effect  a complete  solution;  heat  to  boiling  and  add 
ammonia,  heat  on  a water  bath  for  a few  minutes;  when  the  solu- 
tion clears  filter  through  the  previous  filter,  wash  thoroughly  with 
hot  water.  Dry  the  precipitate,  ignite  to  constant  weight,  and 
weigh  as  CaO;  or  dissolve  with  sulphuric  acid  and  determine  the 
lime  volumetrically  by  titration  with  potassium  permanganate  of  a 
known  strength. 

The  thoroughly  washed  precipitate  of  calcium  oxalate  is  dis- 
solved in  hot  dilute  sulphuric  acid  and  the  solution  is  titrated  with 
standardized  potassium  permanganate. 

The  filtrate  from  the  calcium  oxalate  is  made  alkaline  with 
ammonia  and  30  cubic  centimeters  of  solution  of  hydro-disodium 
phosphate  is  added;  the  whole  is  set  aside  in  a cool  place  for  twen- 
ty-four hours;  it  is  then  filtered  and  washed  about  fifteen  times 
with  ammonia  water  solution  (1:5).  Dry  the  precipitate  on  the 
filter,  brush  on  to  a large  watch  glass,  burn  filter  on  the  lid  of  the 
weighed  crucible.  When  the  carbon  is  consumed  transfer  the  pre- 
cipitate to  the  crucible  and  ignite  to  dull  redness,  keeping  the 
crucible  covered.  If  the  precipitate  is  not  perfectly  white  on  cool- 
ing, moisten  with  a few  drops  of  nitric  acid,  evaporate  and  ignite 
to  dryness;  weigh  as  magnesium  pyrophosphate  and  calculate  to 
MgO. 

Sulphuric  acid, — This  is  determined  in  a separate  portion. 
Weigh  out  about  five  grams  and  treat  as  in  the  regular  analysis, 
separating  the  silica;  the  filtrate  is  heated  to  boiling,  acidulated 
46-Pt.  Ill 


362 


MARL . 


with  hydrochloric  acid,  and  boiling  barium  chloride  is  added;  the 
boiling  is  continued  for  ten  minutes;  when  the  precipitate  has  sub- 
sided, filter.  The  precipitate  is  thoroughly  washed  in  hot  water, 
dried,  ignited  and  weighed  as  barium  sulphate  and  calculated  to 
sulphur  trioxide,  S03. 

Carbonic  acid. — This  can  be  determined  with  sufficient  accuracy 
by  means  of  the  ordinary  extraction  apparatus. 

For  routine  work  where  quick  results  are  desired  the  above 
scheme  may  be  shortened  in  the  follownig  manner: 

The  first  solution  may  be  effected  by  treating  the  finely  pulver- 
ized sample  with  concentrated  HC1  diluted  with  an  equal  portion  of 
water  to  which  a few  drops  of  concentrated  HN03  has  been  added. 
Evaporate  to  dryness  on  the  sand  bath  until  all  odor  of  HOI  has 
disappeared.  The  residue  is  then  treated  with  concentrated  HC1 
boiled  a few  minutes  diluted  with  water  and  filtered.  The  silica  is 
separated  by  filtration  and  ignition  as  above,  or  the  residue  after 
taking  up  and  boiling  with  concentrated  HC1  can  be  treated  with 
sodium  carbonate  and  the  solution  effected  with  concentrated  HC1 
and  water  as  above  described. 

While  other  short  cuts  could  be  suggested,  it  is  not  deemed  ad- 
visable since  the  saving  in  time  is  not  commensurate  with  the  ac- 
curacy. 

SPECIFIC  GRAVITY. 

The  determination  of  specific  gravity  or  true  density  is  of  ques- 
tionable value  except  in  the  hands  of  an  experienced  operator. 

In  as  much  as  the  differences  in  the  results  are  very  small,  con- 
siderable care  must  be  exercised  to  obtain  accurate  determinations. 

It  is  perhaps  useful  in  detecting  underburning  or  adulteration 
with  material  of  low  specific  gravity.  The  adulteration  must,  how- 
ever, be  in  considerable  quantity  in  order  to  materially  effect  the 
results. 

A better  means  of  detecting  adulteration  is  through  the  use  of 
a liquid  of  heavy  gravity  and  not  capable  of  affecting  the  cement. 

Le  Chatelier’ s apparatus  is  the  best  means  for  making  determination  of 
specific  gravity. 

This  apparatus  consists  of  a flask  D Fig.  36  (3)  of  120  cubic  centi- 
meters capacity,  the  neck  of  which  is  about  20  centimeters  long.  In 
the  middle  of  this  neck  is  a bulb  C,  above  and  below  which  are 
two  marks  engraved  on  the  neck,  the  volume  between  these  marks, 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


363 

E and  F,  being  exactly  20  cubic  centimeters.  Above  the  bulb  the 
neck  is  graduated  into  1-10  cubic  centimeters.  The  neck  has  a 
diameter  of  9 millimeters.  Benzine  free  from  water  is  used  in 
making  the  determinations. 

The  specific  gravity  can  be  determined  in  two  ways:  (1)  The 

flask  is  filled  with  benzine  to  the  lower  mark  E,  and  64  grams  of 
powder  are  weighed  out;  the  powder  is  carefully  introduced  into 
the  flask  by  the  aid  of  the  funnel  B.  The  stem  of  this  funnel  de- 
scends into  the  neck  of  the  flask  to  a point  a short  distance  below 
the  upper  mark.  As  the  level  of  the  benzine  approaches  the  upper 
mark,  the  powder  is  introduced  carefully  and  in  small  quantities 
at  a time  until  the  upper  mark  is  reached.  The  difference  between 
the  weight  of  the  cement  remaining  and  the  weight  of  the  original 
quantity  (64  grams)  is  that  which  has  displaced  20  cubic  centimeters. 
(2)  The  whole  quantity  of  cement  is  introduced,  and  the  level  of  the 
benzine  rises  to  some  division  of  the  graduated  neck.  This  reading 
-f-  20  cubic  centimeters  is  the  volume  displaced  by  64  grams  of 
cement.  The  specific  gravity  is  then  obtained  by  dividing  the  weight 
in  air  by  the  displaced  volume. 

The  flask,  during  the  operation  is  kept  immersed  in  water  in  a 
jar  A,  in  order  to  avoid  any  possible  error  due  to  variations  in 
the  temperature  of  the  benzine.  The  cement  in  falling  through  the 
long  tube  completely  frees  itself  from  all  air  bubbles.  The  re- 
sults obtained  agree  within  .02. 


FINENESS. 

The  degree  of  final  pulverization  which  the  cement  receives  is 
exceedingly  important.  It  has  been  found  that  the  coarser  par- 
ticles in  cement  are  inert  and  have  no  hardening  qualities.  The  more 
finely  a cement  is  pulverized,  all  other  conditions  being  the  same, 
the  greater  will  be  its  cementing  properties  or  what  is  usually 
known  as  its  “sand  carrying”  capacity. 

The  test  for  fineness  consists  in  determining  the  percentages  of 
grains  of  certain  sizes.  By  our  present  methods  this  is  accom- 
plished by  separating  the  particles  with  standard  sieves. 

These  sieves  are  of  brass  wire  cloth  having  a circular  frame  6 
to  10  inches  in  diameter  about  2-J  inches  high  and  usually  provided 
with  a top  cover  and  bottom  pan,  figure  36  (8.) 

What  are  known  as  the  No.  100  and  No.  200  sieves  are  generally 
used.  These  sieves  should  have  theoretically  100  and  200  meshes 


364 


MARL. 


per  lineal  inch  and  the  wire  should  have  diameters  of  .0045  inch 
and  .0023  inch  respectively.  As  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  sieves 
having  exactly  this  number  of  meshes  on  account  of  the  impossibil- 
ity of  weaving  the  wire  cloth  with  sufficient  uniformity  by  hand 
methods,  the  specifications  should  state  the  approximate  number 
of  meshes  and  the  size  of  the  wire  of  the  sieves  to  be  used  in  mak- 
ing the  tests. 

The  sample  for  sieving  should  be  thoroughly  dried  at  a tempera- 
ture of  about  212°  F.,  since  in  this  condition  the  cement  sieves  much 
more  readily.  One  hundred  grams  make  a very  convenient  quan- 
tity to  sieve. 

The  manner  in  which  the  sieving  is  done  determines  to  a large 
extent  the  time  required  for  the  operation.  After  the  fine  flour 
has  passed  through  the  sieve  the  coarser  particles  pass  through 
very  slowly;  and  since  the  final  operation  determines  the  fineness, 
it  is  important  that  it  should  be  done  thoroughly. 

The  cement'  is  best  sieved  by  moving  the  sieve  forward  and  back- 
ward with  one  hand  in  a slightly  inclined  position  and  striking  the 
side  of  the  sieve  gently  with  the  palm  of  the  other  hand  at  the 
rate  of  about  200  strokes  per  minute. 

The  cloth  of  the  sieve  should  be  carefully  watched,  as  it  is 
liable  to  break  and  produce  abnormal  results. 

The  introduction  of  large  pebbles  or  gravel,  retained  on  a screen 
having  ten  meshes  per  lineal  inch,  into  the  sieve,  accelerates  the  oper- 
ation of  sieving. 

The  sieving  can  be  considered  complete  when  not  more  than  one 
tenth  of  one  per  cent  passes  through  the  sieve  after  one  minute  of 
continuous  sieving. 

NORMAL  CONSISTENCY. 

The  percentage  of  water  to  be  used  in  making  tests  of  setting, 
briquettes  and  pats  is  of  the  greatest  importance,  for  upon  this  de- 
pends the  results  obtained.  The  paste  used  in  these  tests  should 
be  of  definite  or  Avhat  is  called  a standard  consistency.  The  same 
consistency  should  be  used  for  all  tests. 

The  best  consistency  is  one  so  wet  that  mortar  cannot  be  com- 
pressed in  molding  and  not  so  wet  as  to  make  a sloppy  test  piece 
which  would  shrink. 

The  best  method  for  estimating  the  proper  percentage  of  water 
to  be  used  is  by  means  of  the  Yicat  apparatus. 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


365 


This  apparatus  illustrated  in  Fig.  36  (1),  consists  of  a frame  K, 
bearing  the  movable  rod  L,  having  the  cap  A at  one  end,  and  the 
piston  B,  having  a circular  cross-section  of  1 centimeter  diameter  at 
the  other.  The  screw  F holds  the  needle  in  any  desired  position. 
The  rod  carries  an  indicator  which  moves  over  a scale  (graduated 
to  centimeters)  attached  to  the  frame  K.  The  rod  with  the  piston  and 
cap  weighs  300  grams;  the  paste  is  held  by  a conical  hard  rubber 
ring,  I,  7 centimeters  in  diameter  at  base,  4 centimeters  high,  rest- 
ing on  the  glass  plate  J,  15  centimeters  square. 


Trial  pastes  are  made  with  varying  percentages  of  water.  The 
paste  is  of  proper  consistency  when  the  piston  gently  applied  to  the 
surface  of  the  paste  (confined  in  the  hard  rubber  ring)  sinks  to  a 
point  a given  distance  above  the  upper  surface  of  the  glass  plate  J. 
(about  28  mm.). 


366 


MARL. 


Having  determined  the  requisite  percentage  of  water  for  neat 
pastes  the  percentages  required  for  sand  mixtures  can  be  deter- 
mined from  the  following  table: 


PERCENTAGES  OF  WATER  FOR  STANDARD  MIXTURES. 


Neat. 

1 to  1. 

1 to  2. 

1 to  3. 

1 to  4. 

1 to  5. 

15% 

11.0 

9.3 

8.5 

8.0 

7.7 

16% 

11.3 

9.6 

8.7 

8.1 

7.8 

17% 

11.7 

9.8 

8.8 

8.3 

7.9 

18% 

12.0 

10.0 

9.0 

8.4 

8.0 

19% 

12.3 

10.2 

9.2 

8.5 

8.1 

20% 

12.7 

10.4 

9.3 

8.7 

8.2 

21% 

13.0 

10.7 

9.5 

8.8 

8.3 

22% : 

13.3 

10.9 

9.7 

8.9 

8.4 

23%., 

13.7 

11.1 

9.8 

9.1 

8.5 

24% 

14.0 

11.3 

10.0 

9.2 

8.6 

25% 

14.3 

11.6 

10.2 

9.3 

8.8 

26% 

14.7 

11.8 

10.3 

9.5 

8.9 

27% 

15.0 

12.0 

10.5 

9.6 

9.0 

28% 

15.3 

12.2 

10.7 

9.7 

9.1 

29% 

15.7 

12.4 

10.8 

9.9 

9.2 

30% 

16.0 

12.7 

11.0 

10.0 

9.3 

31% 

16.3 

12.9 

11.2 

10.1 

9.4 

32% 

16.7 

13.1 

11.3 

10  3 

9.5 

33% «. 

17.0 

13.3 

11.5 

10.4 

9.6 

34% 

17.3 

13.6 

11.7 

10.5 

9.7 

35% 

17.7 

13.8 

11.8 

10.7 

9.9 

36% 

18.0 

14.0 

12.0 

10.8 

10.0 

37% :.... 

18.3 

14.2 

12.2 

10.9 

10.1 

38% 

18.7 

14.4 

12.3 

11.1 

10.2 

39% 

19.0 

14.7 

12.5 

11.2 

10.3 

40% 

19.3 

14.9 

12.7 

11.3 

10.4 

41% 

19.7 

15.1 

12.8 

11.5 

10.5 

42% 

20.0 

15.3 

13.0 

11.6 

10.6 

43% 

20.3 

15.6 

13.2 

11.7 

10.7 

44% 

20.7 

15.8 

13.3 

11.9 

10.8 

45% 

21.0 

* 16.0 

13.5 

12.0 

11.0 

46% ■ 

21.3 

16.1 

13.7 

12.1 

11.1 

Cement 

500 

333 

250 

200 

167 

Sand 

500 

666 

750 

800 

833 

E=2-3  N A x 60  where 


N=weight  of  water  (in  grams)  required  for  1,000  grams  of  neat 
cement. 

A = weight  of  cement  (in  kilograms)  in  1,000  grams  of  sand  mix- 
ture. 

E = weight  of  water  (in  grams)  required  for  sand  mixture. 


TIME  OF  SETTING. 

The  determination  of  the  time  required  for  a cement  to  set  or  the 
time  wrhich  elapses  before  the  paste  ceases  to  be  fluid  and  plastic 
is  of  considerable  practical  importance.  The  beginning  of  this 
state  is  called  the  initial  set”  and  the  moment  when  the  paste 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


367 


offers  a given  resistance  to  change  of  form  is  called  the  “hard 
set.”  After  the  cement  has  set  the  process  of  crystallization  or 
hardening  begins. 

To  add  water  and  again  mix  a cement  which  has  set  is  called 
“retempering.”  As  a cement  loses  a great  deal  of  its  initial  strength 
by  “retempering”  it  is  necessary  to  determine  the  length  of  time  re- 
quired for  the  cement  to  set  in  order  to  avoid  “retempering”  the 
mortar  on  the  work. 

Tests  for  the  time  of  setting  are  made  on  pastes  of  neat  cement 
only,  as  in  sand  mortars  the  grains  of  sand  impede  the  free  pene- 
tration of  the  needle. 

Yicat  devised  the  original  apparatus  (Fig.  35)  for  determining  the 
rate  of  hardening  of  lime  mortars.  In  the  tests  as  recommended 
by  Vicat,  the  weighted  needle  was  allowed  to  fall  into  the  mater- 
ial under  test.  In  the  test  as  now  used,  the  needle  is  applied  care- 
fully to  the  surface  and  allowed  to  sink  into  the  mass  under  a 
given  weight.  Fig.  36  (1).  This  apparatus  has  been  described  under 
Fig.  36,  two  pages  before.  In  this  test  the  cap  A is  replaced  by  the 
cap  D,  and  the  piston  B is  replaced  by  the  needle  H.  The  rod  L 
then  weighs  300  grams.  The  hard  rubber  ring  containing  the 
paste  of  normal  consistency  is  placed  under  the  needle  which  is 
gently  brought  in  contact  with  the  surface  and  allowed  to  sink  into 
the  mass  under  the  load  of  300  grams. 

For  neat  pastes  the  setting  is  said  to  have  commenced  when  the 
polished  steel  needle  weighing  300  grams,  does  not  completely  trav- 
erse the  mass  of  normal  consistency  confined  in  the  rubber  ring, 
and  the  setting  is  said  to  be  terminated,  when  the  same  needle 
gently  applied  to  the  upper  surface  of  the  mass  does  not  sink  visibly 
into  it. 

A thermometer  C graduated  to  1-5°  C.  is  stuck  into  the  mass  and 
the  increase  of  temperature  of  mass  during  setting  can  be  thus  ob- 
served. 

Care  should  be  taken  to  keep  the  sides  of  the  needle  clean  as  the 
collection  of  cement  on  the  needle  retards  the  penetration  of  the 
needle,  while  cement  on  the  point  of  the  needle  reduces  the  area  of 
needle  and  tends  to  increase  the  penetration. 

The  test  specimens  should  be  kept  in  moist  air  during  the  test. 
This  is  best  accomplished  by  placing  the  specimens  on  a rack  over 
water  contained  in  a pan  covered  with  a damp  cloth  kept  away 
from  the  specimen  by  a wire  screen.  The  specimens  can  also  be 
kept  in  a moist  closet. 


368 


MARL. 


TENSILE  STRENGTH. 

The  setting  of  cement  is  the  change  from  a condition  of  fluidity 
to  a solid  state.  When  cement  has  set,  the  process  of  hardening 
is  said  to  commence.  The  relative  degree  of  hardening  at  any  age 
is  measured  by  determining  its  transverse,  compressive,  adhesive 
or  tensile  strength  in  pounds  per  square  inch. 

Of  these  tests  the  tensile  test  is  universally  used  and  has  met 
with  great  favor  on  account  of  the  convenience  with  which  the  test 
is  made  and  the  cheapness  of  the  apparatus  required. 

The  test  piece  is  of  one  inch  section  and  is  shown  in  Fig.  36  (5). 
For  convenience  in  molding  and  removing  the  briquettes  from  the 
molds,  the  sharp  corners  should  be  rounded  off  with  curves  of  one 
half  inch  radius,  the  briquettes  to  be  of  the  form  shown  in  Figure 
36  (6). 

Molds. — The  molds  should  be  made  of  brass  or  some  equally  non- 
corrosive  material  and  can  be  either  of  the  single  or  gang-type,  the 
latter  is  preferable  since  the  convenience  and  facility  for  molding 
several  briquettes  at  one  time  is  greater  than  in  the  case  of  the 
single  mold.  The  greater  quantity  of  material  which  can  be  mixed 
at  a time  tends  to  produce  more  uniform  results. 

The  convenience  in  cleaning,  compactness  and  facility  with 
which  they  can  be  handled  are  also  arguments  in  favor  of  the  gang 
type. 

There  should  be  sufficient  metal  in  the  sides  of  the  mold  so  as  to 
prevent  spreading  of  the  mold  when  in  use. 

The  molds  should  be  wiped  with  an  oily  cloth  before  using,  this 
prevents  the  cement  sticking  to  the  mold  and  damaging  the  bri- 
quette during  the  removal  from  the  mold. 

Mixing. — About  one  thousand  grams  of  cement  makes  a very  con- 
venient quantity  of  material  to  mix  at  a time  and  will  make  about 
eight  or  ten  briquettes. 

The  French  system  of  weights  and  measures  because  of  the  re- 
lation between  the  gram  and  the  cubic  centimeter  is  the  most  con- 
venient to  use.  The  proportions  should  be  stated  by  weight. 

The  mixing  should  be  done  on  some  non-absorbing,  non-corroding 
surface,  preferably  plate  glass,  although  marble  or  slate  would  do. 

If  the  mixing  be  done  on  a surface  of  marble  or  of  slate  it  will 
be  advisable  to  keep  this  surface  covered  with  a wret  cloth  when 
not  in  use,  or  thoroughly  wet  the  surface  previous  to  being  used. 
A surface  of  this  character  when  not  in  use,  becomes  quite  dry, 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


369 


and  absorbs  some  of  the  water  from  the  first  few  batches  mixed 
on  it;  this  renders  the  mortar  much  dryer  and  materially  affects 
the  results,  especially  with  sand  mixtures. 

The  cement  is  weighed  out  and  placed  on  the  mixing  slab  and 
formed  into  a crater  into  which  the  proper  percentage  of  clean 
water  is  added. 

The  material  is  turned  into  the  crater  with  a trowel  and  when 
the  water  is  absorbed,  the  mixing  is  completed  by  thoroughly 
kneading  with  the  hands;  the  latter  process  being  similar  to  that 
used  in  kneading  dough.  The  duration  of  the  kneading  should  be 
about  one  minute.  During  this  operation  the  hands  should  be  pro- 
tected with  rubber  gloves. 

An  inexperienced  operator  should  mix  for  a definite  length  of 
time;  a one  or  more  minute  sand  glass  is  a very  convenient  guide. 

If  the  person  making  the  test  is  very  inexperienced,  it  may  be 
necessary  to  use  one  half  the  quantity  of  material. 

When  the  moisture  begins  to  disappear  from  the  surface  and  the 
paste  becomes  meally  and  does  not  stick  together,  the  cement  has 
begun  to  set  and  should  be  thrown  away. 

Paste  which  appears  to  be  of  the  proper  consistency  at  first,  be- 
comes quite  wet  after  thorough  kneading,  while  pastes  which  ap- 
pear at  first  quite  dry  become  plastic. 

In  sand  mixtures  the  mixing  should  be  thorough  in  order  to  in- 
sure coating  each  grain  of  sand  with  cement.  This  is  a very  im- 
portant feature  in  sand  tests  and  is  often  the  reason  why  one  per- 
son obtains  so  much  higher  results  than  others. 

The  temperature  of  the  room  and  of  the  water  used  in  mixing 
should  be  kept  as  near  70°  F.  as  practical.  The  air  of  the  room 
should  be  kept  moist. 

A high  temperature  and  dry  air  in  the  room  in  which  the  tests  are 
made,  tends  to  dry  out  the  test  pieces,  thereby  checking  the  proces 
of  hardening,  resulting  in  low  strengths  and  often  in  cracking  of 
the  test  pieces  and  in  some  instances  disintegration. 

Molding. — The  mortar  having  been  mixed  to  the  proper  consistency 
is  placed  at  once  into  the  molds  with  the  hands. 

The  molds  are  filled  at  once,  the  paste  is  pressed  in  with  the  fingers 
and  smoothed  off  with  a trowel  on  both  sides.  This  should  take  about 
two  or  three  minutes  for  8 or  10  briquettes.  The  mortar  should  be 
heaped  upon  each  mold  and  then  pressed  in  by  drawing  the  trowel  over 
the  surface  of  the  mold,  holding  the  blade  of  the  trowel  at  an 
47-Pt.  Ill 


370 


MARL. 


angle  of  about  5°.  The  mold  is  turned  over  and  the  operation 
repeated. 

The  briquettes  are  marked  in  the  head  with  steel  dies  while  still 
soft,  or  with  a large  soft  lead  pencil  just  before  removing  from  the 
molds. 

An  excellent  idea  of  the  uniformity  of  the  mixing  and  molding  is 
afforded  by  weighing  the  briquettes  upon  removing  from  the  molds. 
The  variations  in  the  weight  of  briquettes  should  not  exceed  3 
per  cent. 


Preservation  of  briquettes. — After  the  completion  of  the  molding, 
care  should  be  taken  to  keep  the  briquettes  in  moist  air;  this  prevents 
them  drying  out  thus  checking  the  process  of  hardening,  and  prevents 
the  production  of  checks  and  shrinkage  cracks. 

The  most  convenient  way  to  preserve  the  briquettes  prior  to 
immersion  in  water,  is  by  means  of  a moist  box  or  closet.  (Fig.  37.) 


TES  TING  CEMENT. 


371 


This  may  be  of  soap-stone  or  slate,  or  a metal  lined  wooden  box, 
covered  with  felt  on  the  inside;  the  closet  should  hold  water  in 
the  bottom  and  be  provided  with  shelves  on  which  to  place  the 
briquettes  or  the  molds  containing  the  briquettes. 

For  the  twenty-four  hour  tests  the  briquettes  should  be  placed 
in  the  moist  closet  immediately  after  molding  and  kept  there  until 
broken;  briquettes  to  be  broken  at  longer  periods  should  be  im- 
mersed after  24  hours  in  moist  air,  in  water  maintained  as  near 
70°  F.  as  practical. 


For  preserving  the  briquettes  in  water  either  pans  or  large  tanks 
are  used. 

The  former  should  be  of  the  agate  ware  type,  since  they  do  not 
corrode  and  are  easily  cleaned. 

A very  convenient  arrangement  for  tanks  is  shown  in  (Fig.  37). 
The  tanks  are  in  tiers,  the  supports  can  be  framed  of  angle  iron  or 


372 


MAUL. 


wrought  iron  pipe.  Each  tank  is  provided  with  a hot  and  cold 
water  supply  pipe  and  a waste  pipe;  the  inlet  being  at  the  bottom 
and  the  overflow  at  the  top  of  the  tank.  These  tanks  can  be  built  of 
soapstone  or  slate,  or  they  can  be  enamelled  iron  sinks. 

Where  pans  are  used  the  water  should  be  renewed  once  each 
week.  Care  should  be  observed  to  keep  the  briquettes  covered  with 
water. 

When  running  water  is  used,  care  should  be  observed  to  main- 
tain the  water  as  near  70°  F.  as  possible. 


Fig.  39.  Olsen  testing  machine,  power  driven. 

Breaking  briquettes. — Briquettes  should  be  broken  as  soon  as  they 
are  removed  from  the  water.  Care  should  be  exercised  in  centering 
the  briquettes  in  the  testing  machine,  as  cross  strains  are  liable  to 
result  from  improper  adjustment,  producing  cross  strains  which 
lower  the  results  of  the  tests.  The  breaking  load  should  not  be  ap- 


TES  TING  CEMENT. 


373 


plied  too  suddenly,  as  the  vibration  produced,  often  snaps  the  bri- 
quettes apart  before  the  full  strength  is  developed. 

Figs.  38  and  39  show  one  form  of  testing  machine. 


Fig.  40.  Fairbanks  testing  machine. 


The  clips  should  be  kept  clean,  and  the  briquettes  free  from 
grains  of  sand  or  dirt  which  would  tend  to  prevent  a good  bear- 
ing. 

Care  should  also  be  observed  in  applying  the  initial  load;  this 
is  particularly  the  case  with  the  Fairbanks  machine  Fig.  40  and  consti- 
tutes the  chief  objection  to  this  machine.  In  long  time  tests  the 
initial  load  must  be  very  great,  and  as  there  is  no  way  of  regula- 
ting this  load  satisfactorily,  the  variations  in  the  results  are  often 
largely  due  to  variations  in  the  amount  of  the  initial  load  applied. 
In  order  to  regulate  the  application  of  this  initial  strain,  it  is  the 
practice  in  some  laboratories  to  place  weights  in  the  shot  pan  at 
the  commencement  of  the  test,  the  amount  of  the  weight  being  de- 
pendent upon  the  ag-e  and  character  (natural  or  Portland)  of  the 
cement  under  test,  the  weight  increasing  with  age — it  being  great- 
er for  Portland  than  for  natural  cement,  and  also  greater  for  neat 
than  for  sand  tests. 

It  often  happens  that  the  last  molded  and  usually  the  densest 
briquettes  are  broken  at  twenty-four  hours  or  seven  days  and 
the  first  molded  or  less  dense  at  twenty-eight  days  or  longer.  This 
difference  in  density  may  be  considerable,  in  which  case  the  tests 
may  show  an  apparent  falling  off  in  strength.  Again,  the  cement 


374 


MARL . 


may  begin  to  set  before  the  last  briquettes  is  molded,  and  should 
these  briquettes  be  broken  at  the  long  time  period,  a loss  of 
strength  might  be  again  apparent,  or  even  indications  of  disintegra- 
tions appear.  All  these  facts  tend  to  emphasize  the  necessity  of 
uniformity  in  mixing  and  molding  in  order  to  secure  uniform  dens- 
ity in  the  briquettes,  and  thus  avoid  the  resultant  apparent  losses 
in  the  tensile  strength. 


Fig.  41.  Riehle  testing  machine. 

CONSTANCY  OF  VOLUME. 

One  of  the  most  important  tests  to  which. cement  is  subjected, 
and  one  which  is  the  most  difficult  to  make,  is  that  which  pertains 
to  the  soundness.  The  methods  that  have  been  suggested  are 
legion.  This  test  cannot  be  used  by  a novice  with  safety,  and  even 
in  the  hands  of  an  expert  all  tests  for  soundness  must  be  made 
with  extreme  care. 

The  object  of  the  test  is  to  determine  whether  the  cement  will 
maintain  a constant  volume,  and  develop  no  evidence  of  unsound- 
ness or  loss  of  strength.  It  is  exceedingly  important  that  cement 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


375 


should  not  only  develop  strength  but  it  should  also  maintain  this 
strength. 

Tests  of  this  character  can  be  divided  into  two  classes:  (1)  nor- 
mal pat  tests  and  (2)  accelerated  tests. 

The  former  consists  in  immersing  a pat  of  neat  cement  after 
hard  set  in  water  maintained  at  a temperature  as  near  70°  F.  as 
possible.  To  successfully  meet  this  requirement  it  should  remain 
firm  and  hard  and  should  not  check,  become  distorted  or  show 
other  evidence  of  unsoundness. 

Months  and  even  years  are  requisite  to  develop  evidences  of 
unsoundness  by  this  method  unless  the  cement  be  of  very  poor 
quality.  The  accelerated  tests  are  for  this  reason  in  greater  favor, 
because  results  can  be  obtained  in  considerable  less  time — in  a few 
hours  as  a matter  of  fact. 

Of  the  latter  class  of  tests  one  best  adapted  to  general  use  is 
to  immerse  the  pat  (after  twenty-four  hours  in  moist  air),  for 
three  hours  in  an  atmosphere  of  steam  coming  from  boiling  water 
contained  in  a loosely  covered  vessel.  The  pat  to  satisfactorily 
pass  this  test  should  remain  firm  and  hard  and  show  no  signs 
of  checking,  cracking,  distortion  or  disintegration.  A more  reliable 
test,  but  one  which  is  more  expensive  and  which  requires  consider- 
able care  in  maintaining  the  water  at  a fixed  temperature,  is  to  im- 
merse the  pat  (after  twenty-four  hours  in  moist  air)  in  water  main- 
tained at  a constant  temperature  of  170°  F. 

One  of  the  difficulties  encountered  in  these  tests  is  in  making  the 
pats;  these  are  usually  made  of  neat  cement,  about  three  or  four 
inches  in  diameter,  from  one-quarter  to  one-half  of  an  inch  thick 
at  the  center  and  tapering  to  thin  edges  at  the  circumference.  The 
pats  should  be  made  with  the  same  percentage  of  water  as  in  the 
case  of  the  other  tests.  Simple  as  the  making  of  these  pats  may 
appear  to  be,  it  is  extremely  difficult  for  inexperienced  persons  to 
make  them  correctly.  Pats  may  be  so  trowelled  as  to  give  initial 
strains  which  develop  cracks  during  the  test.  A good  plan  is  to 
strike  the  glass  on  which  the  pat  is  made  after  molding;  this  re- 
arranges the  mass,  drives  the  moisture  through  the  pat  and  makes 
the  density  of  the  pat  more  uniform.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the 
pats  do  not  dry  out — this  produces  shrinkage  cracks,  which  give 
a false  impression  of  unsoundness.  Most  pats  leave  the  glass,  and 
unless  this  is  accompanied  by  swelling,  curvature  of  the  pat,  or 
cracking  at  the  edges,  it  should  not  be  taken  as  evidence  of  unsound- 
ness. In  some  cases  the  cement  may  set  before  the  pat  is  finished, 


376 


MAUL. 


and  when  placed  in  steam  or  hot  water,  the  outer  edge  may  lift 
off.  This  to  the  inexperienced  is  also  misleading. 


Fig.  42.  Result  of  tests  of  constancy  of  volume. 

Cements  should  not  be  condemned  on  the  results  of  the  acceler- 
ated tests  alone,  nor  should  a cement  be  considered  sound  because 
it  has  passed  such  tests. 

The  results  of  such  tests  are  shown  in  Figs.  42  and  43. 


Fig.  43.  Result  of  tests  of  constancy  of  volume. 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


377 


CONCLUSION. 

The  tests  just  described  constitute  those  most  essential  for  gen- 
eral purposes  in  determining  the  value  of  cement  delivered  for  use. 
Tests  for  determining  the  compressive,  transverse,  adhesive  or 
abrasive  strength,  together  with  those  for  determining  the  effect 
of  frost,  action  of  sea  water  and  the  porosity,  furnish  information 
having  a value  for  the  purposes  of  research,  or  where  the  condi- 
tions render  such  data  desirable.  Permanent  laboratories  where 
work  of  this  kind  can  be  carried  on,  should  be  equipped  for  such 
tests.  Tests  of  still  greater  importance,  which  cannot  be  used  as  tests 
of  reception,  are  those  made  on  the  work.  These  consist  in  tests  of 
briquettes  made  from  mortar  taken  from  the  mixing  box  or  cubes  of 
concrete. 

Data  obtained  from  such  tests  is  valuable,  inasmuch  as  it  fur- 
nishes information  concerning  the  strength  of  the  concrete  or 
mortar  taken  from  the  mixing  of  the  mortar  or  concrete. 

There  should  be  some  system  under  which  the  tests  are  made, 
that  is,  there  should  be  a regular  number  of  briquettes  made  from 
each  sample,  and  they  should  be  broken  at  regular  intervals;  when- 
ever possible  these  tests  should  be  extended  beyond  the  regular 
twenty-eight  day  period,  as  it  is  very  desirable  to  know  what  the 
strength  is  at  the  end  of  several  years.  In  addition  to  the  tensile 
tests,  each  sample  should  be  submitted  to  all  the  tests  usually 
employed.  The  data  obtained  from  these  tests  should  be  carefully 
recorded  in  a book  kept  for  the  purpose. 

Having  made  the  above  tests,  the  interpretations  of  the  results 
obtained  is  the  next  and  most  serious  difficulty  which  confronts 
the  inspector.  It  is  impossible  always  to  insist  on  a rigid  com- 
pliance with  the  requirements  of  the  specifications,  since  the  fail- 
ure to  meet  these  requirements  .may  be  due  to  faults  in  the  testing. 

It  often  happens  that  the  person  who  makes  the  tests  does  not 
use  the  same  amount  of  energy  in  each  test;  this  is  particularly 
the  case  where  the  number  of  tests  made  is  large,  or  the  test  pieces 
may  dry  out  or  they  may  be  effected  by  the  conditions  under  which 
they  are  preserved. 

In  cases  where  the  cement  fails  to  meet  the  requirements,  it 
should  be  given  a re-test  before  condemning  it. 

It  may  be  well  at  this  point  to  call  attention  to  the  falling  off  in 
tensile  strength  which  occurs  at  the  end  of  one,  two  or  more  months. 

48-Pt.  Ill 


378 


MARL . 


Just  what  causes  this  action  has  not  as  yet  been  satisfactorily 
explained. 

All  cement  as  it  acquires  hardness  becomes  brittle,  the  length 
of  time  required  varying  from  a few  months  to  several  years. 

In  the  early  stages  of  the  process  of  hardening,  the  mass  is  tough 
and  in  a more  or  less  amorphous  condition;  but  as  the  crystalliza- 
tion proceeds,  the  mass  becomes  brittle.  It  would  seem  that  the 
loss  in  tensile  strength  can  be  attributed  to  crystallization. 

The  modern  rotary  kiln  process  is  such  that  we  can  obtain  arti- 
ficially, in  a very  short  space  of  time,  a result  that  nature  requires 
centuries  to  accomplish. 

We  are  required  to  make  tests  of  a material,  which  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes  can  be  considered  a stone;  it  would  seem  logical 
therefore  to  apply  those  tests  usually  applied  to  tests  of  stone,  i.  e., 
compressive  tests. 

This  would  seem  to  be  a proper  method  for  ascertaining  the 
real  strength  of  cement  especially  for  long  periods  of  time. 

Tension  tests  should  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the 
relative  value  of  shipments  of  cement,  and  should  be  confined  to 
tests  not  extending  over  28  days. 

When  small  compression  machines,  capable  of  crushing  one  inch 
or  one  and  a half  inch  test  pieces,  can  be  built  to  compete  with  the 
present  tensile  machine,  then  we  will  be  able  to  retire  the  tension 
tests. 

Passing  judgment  on  the  quality  of  a shipment  of  cement,  is 
one  of  the  most  difficult  problems  that  confronts  an  engineer. 
You  are  dealing  with  a material  subject  to  numerous  conditions, 
any  one  of  which  may  affect  its  value  as  a material  of  construc- 
tion. It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  cement  is  manufactured  in 
one  form,  tested  in  another  and  used  in  a third.  Abnormal  behavior 
in  the  tests  does  not  necessarily  indicate  its  probable  action  in 
actual  use. 

When  we  consider  the  ancient  structures  which  were  built  with 
materials  of  inferior  quality  (when  gauged  by  our  present  stand- 
ards) we  are  impressed  with  the  hardness  and  durability  of  the 
mortars. 

Again  it  is  very  rare  that  we  see  cases  of  failure  that  can  be 
ascribed  to  the  bad  quality  of  the  cement.  Our  facts  are  not  suffi- 
ciently established  to  enable  us  to  state  just  what  qualities  or 
ingredients  are  requisite  for  a good  cement. 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


379 


We  know,  however,  as  far  as  our  knowledge  extends,  that  the 
modern  rotary  kiln  product  possesses  the  property  of  acquiring 
great  strength  and  hardness  in  a very  short  period  of  time  and  has 
thus  far  been  able  to  resist  all  normal  forces  tending  to  destroy  it. 
What  the  future  will  develop  only  time  will  tell. 

Our  system  of  testing  under  the  best  conditions  is  very  imper- 
fect and  leaves  much  to  be  desired. 

Without  positive  information  as  to  what  is  required  of  a good 
cement,  and  under  an  imperfect  system  of  testing  it  does  not  seem 
fair  to  be  too  rigid  in  our  requirements. 

Testing  cement  and  the  interpretation  of  the  results  obtained, 
requires  the  liberal  application  of  common  sense  and  good  judg- 
ment, mellowed  by  practical  experience. 

No  better  rule  can  be  observed  by  the  person  acquiring  his  first 
experience  in  testing  cement  than,  “When  in  doubt  re-test  the 
cement.” 

The  future  alone  can  prove  the  correctness  of  our  present  the- 
ories, and  in  the  meanwhile,  in  lieu  of  something  better,  we  must 
accept  our  present  cements  with  faith  in  their  high  excellence  as  a 
building  material. 


380 


MAUL. 


An  excellent  form  of  record  book  is  shown  in  the  following  form: 


No.  sample. 

Collection. 

Fineness  in 
per  cent 
residue. 

Specific  gravity. 

Time  of  setting,  in  minutes. 

Initial. 

Hard. 

Temperature. 

Brand. 

Date. 

Place. 

Bags 

or 

barrels 

No.  100. 

No.  200. 

Air. 

Water. 

Rise. 

Strength  in  pounds  per 


<D 

c3 

Tensile. 

£ 

G 

Molded. 

Neat  cement. 

Molded. 

O 

G 

<u 

Day. 

Hour. 

24  hours. 

7 days. 

28  days. 

Months. 

Years. 

Day. 

Hour. 

( 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


381 


Constancy  of  volume. 


Pat  in  air. 

Pat  in  cold  water. 

Pat  in  steam  or  hot  water. 

7 days. 

1 

28  days. 

6 mos. 

1 year. 

7 days. 

28  days. 

6 mos. 

1 year. 

7 days. 

28  days. 

6 mos. 

1 year. 

square  inch. 

Compressive. 

S 

c3 

Remarks. 

1 cement,  5 Standard  Sand. 

£ 

+3 

c 

24  hours. 

7 days. 

28  days. 

Months. 

Years. 

o 

u 

<v 

[ 

CEMENT  TESTS  BY  RICHARD  L.  HUMPHREY. 


382  MAUL. 


Tensile  strength  in  pounds,  per  square  inch. 

1 cement  3 std.  quartz 
sand. 

Briquettes  preserved  in  moist  air  24  hours 
after  moulding,  then  immersed  in  water 
at  60° -70°  F. 

•SXBOif  g 

2£  r1 2!  23  oo  — o qo  ©i  «3  io 

e©  (-  CC  O — • l-  e©  ©t 

ere©j©>e©  ©jere©i©j  concoco 

stop  83 

C©COire©l  t-OO-HCO  cot-  — co 

o ere  ire  ire  osoocooo  coi9<©t- 

C©  ©}  ©1  ©J  ' ©l  ©1  ©t  ©J  ©1  C©  ©} 

stop  i 

NMON 

OO  TT  00  00  TPCOOJW  ' CO  CM  »— < 

^ ^ CM  CM  C*  CM 

•sanoq  fz 

ooocooi 

ire  ere  t- 1-  ©j  ire  co  <ot*ON 

Neat  cement. 

•s.reajf  g 

r-^COCOCO  Tji  OikOCO  HCiOO 

CJ  CO  O CM  i>  CO  O CM 

i>  Ci  00  O)  i>  CO  C-  {>  Ci  00  00  00 

•stop  83 

ere  ire  © -^  T»<ooo5-H  ©>ooere©i 
230i>i<  ire  i-  ©}  oo  t-  c©  — eo 
co  co  oo  t—  t— ire  ire  co  ocirecooo 

•stop/, 

<31  CO  05  — C©  05  05  0001-00 

o ire  o — ■ ere  t-  oo  — o^om 

lft^t-t-  ^TjiTjure  oo  ire  co  c- 

sanoq  fz 

■crereoe©  t-oireo  — os-^co 

cfOOtO-H  -i®oo  coooooo 

©t  — e©  if  — — ere  ere  ereere-fe© 

Setting. 

Temperature. 

Water. 
° F. 

CO0000C5  OOOOOOOi  00  00  00  00 

cocococo  co  co  co  co  co  co  co 

£ fe 

^3  o 

71-70 

71-73 

71-70 

71-73 

71-70 

71-70' 

71-71 

71-73 

71-70 

71-71 

71-73 

71-71 

Time  in 
minutes. 

•pjUH 

CMkCCO^  ^HOOt^iC  CM  O O CO 

iCTfNrH  kO  CM  i>  CM 

lC  CO  Tf  vr  lOrf  CO  Tfi  CO  ^ 

qniqmi 

OCi--CO  OO^kCCM  OiOO^fO 
^CikftkO  CM  CO  1-1  1—  ^-1 

CM 

•pasn  aoiuAi  jo  aSn^naojOti 

©J  © CO  CO  OMON  000©100 

©1©J  — — « ©J<N©i<M  -NCirt 

Fineness  in  per 
cent  of 
residue  on 
sieve  number. 

O 

O 

CM 

TfOOCSCO  t-oc-oo  ifooost- 

ROCOCO  QONTf  OOl^l^OO 

CM  CM  CM  CM  ^ CM  CM  <M  CMCMCMCM 

100. 

('•CMht}'  O rji  lO  O CM  1^  kft 

i'-HMO  000000  CM  O ^ CM 

d 

kc 

CC^OO  hOMN 

dddd  ddod  dodo 

•^tabjS  orpoods 

3.04 
3.17 
3.11 
3.10 

3.17 

3.05 
3.14 
3.09 

3.17 
3.14 
3.09 

3.18 

•jaqranu  ojdm'BS 

— ©jere-f  irecot-oo  ao-^ej 

Name. 

Peerless 

Bronson 

Atlas 

Atlas 

Bronson 

Peerless 

Dykerhoff 

Alsen 

Wolverine 

Dykerhoff 

Alsen 

Wolverine 

In  the  test  for  soundness  and  constancy  of  volume,  all  the  pats  (which  were  preserved  in  moist  air  for  24  hours,  then  immersed  in  air  at  60°  to  70° 
in  water  at  60°  to  70°  F.,  in  steam  for  three  hours  and  in  water  at  180°  F.  for  24  hours)  of  the  brands  tested  proved  perfectly  sound. 


7 DAYS  2 8 DAYS  2 DIOS  3/10S  4/10S  SflOS  /Y£. 


TES  TING  CEMENT. 


383 


b£ 

s 


(V 

03 


U 

0) 


w 


O 

c3 

t> 


bi) 

S 


384 


MARL. 


The  above  table  shows  results  on  samples  of  Portland  cement  col- 
lected by  D.  J.  Hale  and  sent  to  Richard  L.  Humphrey  for  testing 
(not  samples  which  were  submitted  by  interested  parties)  taken 
from  warehouses  where  cement  was  sold  every  day  by  retail 
dealers. 

Each  sample  and  each  duplicate  of  a sample  were  packed 
separately,  first  in  a paper  sack  then  in  a cloth  sack,  then  in  a 
small  oblong  wooden  box  just  containing  the  package.  Each  box 
then  contained  but  one  sample  and  the  sacks  could  not  possibly 
mix  by  breaking  or  sifting. 

About  10  or  12  pouuds  of  cement  was  taken  at  a time.  It  was 
taken  as  nearly  as  possible  at  the  center  of  a sack  or  barrel,  no 
sack  being  sampled  which  by  caking  showed  the  effect  of  moisture, 
a leaking  roof  or  a situation  exposing  it  to  moist  draughts  of  air 
as  between  doorways.  The  duplicate  sample  was  selected  in  as 
nearly  the  same  spot  as  possible  to  the  one  in  which  the  first  sample 
was  taken.  That  is,  it  was  selected  from  the  center  of  the  same 
barrel  or  sack. 

Numbers  3,  4,  7,  8,  10  and  11  were  collected  at  Meecham  & 
Wright’s  warehouse,  98  Market  St.,  Chicago,  111.  Numbers  1 and  6 
Peerless,  was  sampled  from  Stevens,  Hobbs  & Co.,  Benton  Harbor, 
Mich.  Numbers  2 and  5 Bronson,  was  sampled  from  Jno.  Wallace 
& Co.,  St.  Joseph,  Mich. 

The  following  are  the  numbers  and  names  of  the  samples  taken : 

No.  1.  Peerless. 

No.  2.  Bronson. 

No.  3.  Atlas  limestone  cement,  made  at  Coplav,  Pa. 

No.  4.  Atlas — Duplicate  of  No.  3. 

No.  5.  Bronson — Duplicate  of  No.  2. 

No.  6.  Peerless — Duplicate  of  No.  1. 

No.  7.  Dvkerkoff. 

No.  8.  Alsen’s  Portland  Cement,  from  Jtzehoe,  Germany. 

No.  9.  Wolverine,  taken  at  Thomas  Moulding’s  warehouse,  40th 
and  Wentworth  Sts.,  Chicago,  111. 

No.  10.  Dykerhoff — Duplicate  of  No.  7. 

No.  11.  Alsen — Duplicate  of  No.  8. 

No.  12.  Wolverine — Duplicate  of  No.  9. 

The  samples  were  submitted  to  Mr.  Humphrey  with  the  number 
only  and  not  the  name  of  the  manufacturer  or  statement  of  which 
were  duplicates. 


TESTING  CEMENT. 


385 


NOTES  BY  D.  J.  HALE. 

Upon  consideration  of  these  results  the  following  comments  ap- 
pear to  be  suggested. 

The  specific  gravity  checks  the  closest  of  all  the  tests  and  would 
serve  to  identify  the  duplicates  as  such.  The  specific  gravity  of  well 
made  cements  does  not  vary  greatly,  and  in  the  case  of  these  cements 
the  total  variation  is  only  14  per  cent.  The  duplicates,  however,  vary 
from  each  other  very  slightly  indeed,  three  sets  agreeing  and  three 
varying,  one  duplicate  from  the  other,  one  per  cent  (Nos.  1 and  6, 
3 and  4,  9 and  12) . 

Fineness  seems  to  have  agreed  best  with  the  50  mesh  sieve.  In 
this  test  three  out  of  six  pairs  gave  identical  results.  This  was  not 
paralleled  in  the  tests  on  the  100  and  200  mesh  sieves,  the  diver- 
gence between  brands  in  several  instances  not  being  as  great  as  that 
between  duplicates. 

Duplicates  only  can  be  compared  as  to  setting,  since  different  per- 
centages of  water  were  used,  duplicates,  however,  receiving  the  same. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the  greatest  divergence  in  initial  set  between 
duplicates  2 and  5 occurred  when  the  air  temperature  varied.  How- 
ever, in  3 and  4 there  was  the  same  difference  in  air  temperature 
with  a difference  of  only  seven  minutes  in  the  initial  set.  It  can 
be  seen  that  even  with  the  careful  effort  here  made  to  keep  tempera- 
tures as  nearly  as  possible  equable  the  time  of  setting  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  keep  even,  and  as  a source  of  comparison  between  respective 
brands  would  scarcely  be  reliable,  as  the  divergence  between  samples 
is  in  many  cases  not  as  great  as  that  between  duplicates. 

The  tensile  strength  appears  from  a comparative  point  of  view  the 
most  unsatisfactory  of  the  tests.  In  the  96  tests  made  there  were 
but  two  instances  in  which  duplicates  gave  the  same  number  of 
pounds  breaking  test,  3 in  which  they  varied  2 pounds  from  each 
other,  3 in  which  they  varied  3 pounds  from  each  other.  The  great- 
est variation  between  duplicates  was  159  pounds.  On  the  other  hand 
so  often  do  the  duplicates  differ  more  from  each  other  than  from 
other  brands  that  it  does  not  seem  as  if  this  test  could  show  which 
was  the  sounder  of  two  brands.  For  example  take  1 and  6,  24  hours 
neat.  The  difference  is  80  pounds;  between  6 and  5 which  are  not 
duplicates  but  rival  brands,  57  pounds;  between  6 and  2,  rival 

brands,  23  pounds. 

49-Pt.  Ill 


386 


MARL. 


There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  set  of  tests  was  made  as  care- 
fully as  they  could  be  made  by  our  present  methods  of  testing.  In  a 
general  way  some  test  higher  than  others  but  in  such  an  uncertain 
manner  that  excepting  for  the  specific  gravity  test  it  would  scarcely 
be  possible  to  pick  out  by  means  of  the  record  here  shown,  those 
samples  which  were  duplicates  from  those  which  were  different 
brands.  It  can  scarcely  be  fair  to  allow  one  set  of  experiments  no 
matter  how  carefully  carried  out  to  settle  the  question  of  whether 
or  not  our  present  methods  are  an  actual  test  or  not  of  the  quality 
of  our  cements.  This  series  seems  to  accentuate  the  emphatic  dec- 
larations of  Mr.  Humphrey  and  many  who  are  called  upon  to  in- 
vestigate the  merits  of  different  cements  by  present  methods,  that 
these  methods  are  of  small  value  as  an  actual  test.  They  cannot, 
however,  be  totally  condemned  until  a better  system  is  devised.  It 
is  also  not  to  be  forgotten  that  the  water  and  steam  test  showed 
all  to  be  first-class  cements.  While  this  test  does  not  serve  to  dis- 
tinguish between  good  cements,  it  should  certainly  not  be  dis- 
carded because  it  is  valuable  in  detecting  a worthless  brand. 


INDEX  TO  PART  III. 


A. 

Absorption,  rates  of 209 

Acids,  chlorine,  etc 37 

Acid,  sulphuric 37,  50,  345,  361 

phosphoric 37,  50 

See  names  of  bases  and  also 
Analyses. 

Ackers  Point,  17,  110,  111,  113,  114, 

120,  129 

Addison  Lake 228 

Adhesive  strength  of  mortars,  ap- 
paratus for  determining 355 

Adulterants  for  paints 4 

Agricultural  Bulletin  No.  99...  . 337 

Alabaster  334 

Alamo,  Kalamazoo  county 310 

Albion 314 

Alcona  County 334 

Algae,  fresh  water,  lime  precipita- 
ting agents 90,  92,  221 

See  also  Chara. 


Alkalies,  effect  of,  on  solubility 210 

Alpena  County 33, 179,  388,  339 

Alpena  Portland  Cement  Company 


180,  224, 

225, 

338 

Alsen’s  Portland  Cement,  test. 

382, 

384 

Alma  Sugar  Company 

73 

American  engine  practice  . . . 

158 

American  Portland. , 

383 

American  Society  of  Civil  Eng! 

’rs.. 

299 

Amnicola  limosa 

98 

Amnicola  lustrica. 

98 

Analyses 5 

, 46, 

121 

Analyses  by  Gustav  Bischof 

56 

by  C.  H.  Hess 

by  Frank  S.  Kedzie. . . 

153 

by  L.  S.  Leltz 

73 

by  Delos  Fall 

153 

See  Fall. 

of  Bronson  clays 

239 

marls 

105 

of  Cedar  Lake  marl 

.75, 

76 

Analyses.— Con. 

of  cement 360 

of  clay  137,  171,  222,  241,  288, 

291,  296,  322,  323,  327,  329, 

330,  332,  334,  336,  337,  339, 

346,  347,  352 


Bronson 239 

Millbury 229 

of  Cloverdale  samples 20 

of  Coldwater  marl 76 

of  Fremont  Lake  marl 136 

of  gas 203 

Partial,  of  samples  collected 
by  D.  .T.  Hale,  and  analyzed 

by  A.  N.  Clark 21 

of  kiln  brick 176 

of  limestone 339 

of  Littlefield  Lake  marl 76 


of  marl  8,  32,  48,  75,  76,  103, 


136,  218,  226,  236,  240,  279, 

283,  287,  291,  292,  295,  298, 

315,  316,  318,  319,  320,  321, 

324,  337,  338,  339,  342,  344,  353 

methods  of 218 

Millbury  clay 229 

Pittsburg  coal 231 

Portage  Lake  marl 157 

Quantitative 72 

of  raw  material  used  by 
Wolverine  Portland  Ce- 
ment Co 247 

of  waters 46,  99 

of  Goose  Lake 234 

White  Pigeon 103 

Antrim  County 16,  338 

Apparatus  to  determine  depth  acd 

outline  of  marl  beds 108 

for  cement  tests 356 

Appearance  of  marl. 31 

See  also  Marl. 

Aral,  bed  of  marl  near  338 

Arbela  Twp.,  Tuscola  Co 321 


388 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Arenac  Co 

Arendale  Hill 

Armstrong,  G.  M.  S 


Artesian  stratum 

Asli 

Aspedin,  J 

Athens. 301, 

Atlas  Co.  cement 175,  179, 

An  Gres  River. 

An  Sable 336, 


B. 

Balker  (or  Backus)  Lake  17, 19, 107, 

119,  122, 

Bad  Axe 

Bair  Lake 

Bakie  Loch,  Forfarshire 

Baldwin 

Ball  principle  of  grinding 

Barlow  Lake 


Barns 

Barry 310, 

Barrytown 

Bass  Lake 322, 

Bay  City 


Bay  County 

Bayous,  marl  in 

Bear  Creek 

Bear  Lake 

Beebe,  C.  E 

Beechwood  Point 

Beers,  Henry 

Bellaire  Portland  Cement  Co 


Bellevue 

Benliam,  F.  G. 

Benzie  County 137,  327, 

Berrien  County 

Betsey  River 

Bevin  Lake 276, 

Bicarbonated  salt 

Bicarbonates 202, 

See  also  Calcium,  Magne- 
sium and  Analyses. 

“ Big  Marsh  ” 

Big  White  Fish  Lake 20, 

Bineau 

Bischof,  Gustav 56, 

Black  Lake 

Blind  Island 

Bog  iron 


Bog  iron  ore. 19 

Bog  lime 307,  313,  342 

See  also  Marl. 

Analyses  of 226 

Deposit  of,  near  Fish  Lake . . 317 

General  description  of 307 

near  Eaton  County 317 

near  Kelly’s  Corners. . 315 

near  Lacey’s  lake 317 

lakes 325 

near  Leslie 316 

near  Oak  Grove 316 

origin  of 41,  199 

Bones 234,  249 

Boussingault  and  Levy 209 

Boutron  and  Boudet 209 

Brickyard 147,  150 

Britton,  Deerfield  township 312 

Branch  County.  313 

Brigden,  Mr.  W.  W 349,  350 

Briquettes  of  cement 161,  370,  372 

Bristol,  H.  C 334 

Bristol  Lake 313 

Bronson  1,  103,  104,  163,  167,  171, 

173,  182,  228,  384 

Bronson  Lake 333 

Bronson  clays.  Analyses  of 239 

Brosch  estate 332 

Brotherton,  W.  A. 316 

Brown,  F.  W 176,  177 

Buell 320 

Buildings 188 

Bulrushes 283 

Bunsen 209 

Burning 174,  179 

cost  of 178 

Burning  Dept 178 

Bush  Lakes 277 

C. 

Calcareous  clays 5 

Calcareous  tufa 335 

Calcium 205 

Calcium  bicarbonate 206,  207 

Calcium  carbonate. . .34,  47,  50,  56, 

313,  318 


See  also  Marl,  Bog  Lime 
and  Analyses. 


Solution  of 200,  210 

Effect  of,  on  marl 296 


. 326 

. 328 

. 171 

, 323 

, 312 

. 159 

, 352 

, 382 

334 

, 337 

123 

321 

313 

78 

333 

181 

318 

85 

317 

326 

333 

167 

326 

16 

331 

137 

282 

115 

151 

306 

317 

293 

338 

314 

328 

277 

59 

211 

333 

131 

209 

209 

340 

290 

124 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


389 


Calcium  carbonate.— Con. 

Compared  in  parts  per 
million,  Horseshoe,  Long, 
Guernsey,  Pine  and  Mud 

Lakes 

Precipitation  of 


Calcium  hydrate 

Calcium  oxide 

Calcium  succinate 87,  88, 

Calhoun  County 311, 

Calhoun  Lake 


Campbell,  E.  1)..  .158,  291,  348,  349, 
Canada,  extension  of  marl  in 


Canton  

Carbonates 

See  also  Analyses. 
Carbonate  of  iron. ............... 

Carbonates,  magnesium 

Solubility  of 45, 

Carbon  dioxide,  dissolved 86, 

Caro 


Carp  Lake  328,  330,  331,  332, 

Carpenter,  Prof,  R.  C 


Case,  James 

Cascade  Township.. 99, 

Cass  County 33,  313, 

Castalia,  Ohio  


Cedar  Lake,  in  Montcalm  County, 
18,  33,  80,  91,  99,  100,  322, 
323,  324, 


Cedar  Run. 

Cedar  Springs 

Cederberg,  A.  H. 190, 

Cement 160, 


Adulterated  with  coarse  mat- 
erials   

Amount  of  material  for 

Chemical  analysis  of 

Cooling  of 

Constitution  of 

Curing  of 

grinding 

industry 

Making  of 

manufacture,  Adaptibility  of 


marl  to. 

Mill  tests  of 

“Silica” 

specifications 186, 

Tensile  strength  of 297, 

testing, Humphrey’s  report  on 
Tests  of .280, 


Cement  and  Engineering  News, 


224,  233 

Cement  City 33 

Cement  factories,  Burning  of 189 

Central  Lake.  16,  20,  46,  59,  63,  142, 

145,  146,  148,  150,  338 

Central  Lake,  Antrim  County 143 

Chalk 6,  160 

Chambers,  C.  A 312 

Chapman  Lake 252,  253 

Chamberlain’s  well 118 

Chara,  agent  in  marl  production, 73,  78 

deposits 306 

foetida,  analyzed  by  Gustav 

Bischof 56 

fragilis 89 

fragments,  Analysis 4,  86,  220 

hispida. 78 

in  lakes  of  Denmark 78 

lyelli 78 

material 317 

Method  of  concentration  by.  87 

plants,  Limit  of  depth ... 86 

Source  of  thick  crusts  on 79 

(Stonewort),  56,  57,  58,  60,  70, 

71,  73,  74,  77,  78,  82,  83,  88, 

89,  95,  223,  287,  335 

Cheboygan  County 340 

Chemical  analyses 282 


See  Analyses. 

Chemical  effect  of  marl  on  fertilizers  4 
theory  of  precipitation  of  marl 


42,  44,  58,  64 

Chester.. 311 

Chlorophyl,  57,  112,  122 

Clam  Lakes 338 

Clapp,  Theodore  E 103 

Clare 151,  168,  294 

Clare  County 293,  327 

Clare  Portland  Cement  Company.  293 

Clarke,  J.  M 90 

Clark,  A.  N.,  Analyses 20,  21,  319 

Clark’s  Lake 309 

Clarkston 316 

Clays,  Michigan 345 


Clay.... 105,  147,  149,  167,  170,  192, 

296,  299,  322,  324,  327,  329, 

331,  333,  336,  338,  339,  346 

Analyses  of 137,  171,  222, 

241,  288,  291,  296,  322,  323, 

327,  329,  330,  332,  334,  336, 

337,  339,  346,  347,  352 


131 

55 

172 

192 

89 

314 

150 

350 

6 

307 

342 

211 

50 

200 

362 

211 

333 

293 

331 

314 

321 

78 

335 

328 

99 

298 

224 

181 

294 

360 

179 

172 

180 

180 

189 

171 

2 

358 

181 

188 

300 

188 

357 


390 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Clay- Con. 

on  Clout’s  farm 

Calcareous 

for  cement 

Hubbell  collection  of  fifty-two 
328, 

Effect  of  on  marl. 

land 

Marly 

Clay  shale 

Clayton  Lakes 301,  303,  304, 

Clinker  grinding 177,  179,  183, 

Clinton  County 

Clippert  & Spalding’s  brick  yard. . 
Cloverdale  Lakes..  13,  14,  17,  18,  25, 
49,  52,  107,  114,  115,  117, 

Coal  175, 

dust 

series 

Cobb  Lake 

Cohn 

Coldwater  shale 

Coldwater  . . . .77,  103,  104,  105,  106, 

175.  228, 

Cole,  John 136, 

Collins,  Mr.  F.  S.,  Walden,  Mass. . 

Colon 

Columbus  Township 

Composition  of  raw  material 

Commercial  importance  of. . . 

See  Analyses. 


20 

5 

331 

333 
230 
286 

8 

227 

305 

184 
320 
147 

118 

185 
175 

334 
318 

65 

149 

313 

137 

90 

55 

309 

40 

30 


Crystal  Lake 138 

Crystals 219 

“ Curing” 185 


D. 

Davis,  C.  A 43,  64,  65,.  97, 100, 

199,  217,  273,  292,  322 

Dayton,  Simon 118 

Dean’s  clay,  Sherman 329,  330 

Dean,  J.  G 170,  200,  233,  332 

Detroit  Journal 224,  237 

Detroit  Portland  Cement  Company  320 

Devonian  black  shale 149 

Devore  Lake 334 

Diatoms 36,  73,  91 

Dickson  Lake 276 

Digging 165 

Dipper  dredge 166 

Dolbee,  Chester 317 

Dolomite,  solubility 210 

in  clay 222,  327,  336 

Dooley,  J.,  farm  N.  E.  of  Albion. . . 315 

Doolittle,  R.  E 251,  281 

Douglass,  C.  C.. 312 

Douglass  Houghton  Survey 306 

Dowagiac 313 

Draining  166,  344 

Dredging 166 

Dome  kiln  161 

Drummond  Island 341 

Duck  Lake 46,  142,  228,  328 


Consistency  

364 

Convis  Township 

314 

Cooper  Township 

310 

Cooper,  W.  F 

317 

Copemish 

328 

Corey . . . 

332 

Corinne 

..20,  46, 

140, 

340 

Corunna 

293 

Cossa 

.209, 

215 

Cost,  Estimates  of 

.178, 

186 

of  construction 

of  cement 

plant 

.194, 

196 

of  manufacture. . 

197 

of  burning 

178 

Courtis,  W.  M.,  Analyses  by. . . 

.287, 

318, 

337, 

339 

Crane,  use  of 

166 

Crapo  Lake. 

.252, 

254 

Crow’s  Farm 

147 

Cruse  on  solubility — 

209 

E. 


East  Jordan 46,  148,  150 

East  Lake 328 

East  Tawas 334 

Eaton  County 310,  314,  317 

Eddystone  lighthouse . . 159 


Edwards  Lake 251,  252,  253 

Egyptian  Portland  Cement  Co....  316 


Electrical  installation 195 

Elk  248 

Elk  horns 234 


Elk  Rapids  Portland  Cement  Com- 
pany Plant 189,  244 

Elwell,  Pierce 316 

Emmet  County 340 

Empire  Cement  Company 296 

Engel  and  Ville 210 

England,  cement  materials  of 160 

Escanaba 15,  62,  138 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


391 


Evaporation 

Exeter 

Expense  of  raw  grinding  at  Lupton 

F. 

Faiji,  Henry 

Fairbanks  Machine 

Fall,  Delos,  Analyses  by  136,  154, 
301,  302,  304,"  305,  306,  326,336, 
342,  352, 

paper  by 

Farr,  A.  W 157, 

Farr’s  Liquid  Marl  Sampler 

Farwell 

Farwell’s  Lake 

Farwell  Portland  Cement  Co 

Ferric  oxide  and  alumina, ........ 

Fertilizer,  (marl) 

Fineness  of  cement 

Fineness  of  grinding,  effect  of  on 

cement *. 181, 

Five  Lakes 

Fish  Lake. 317, 

Flint  pebbles  for  grinding. ...  — 

Ford,  J.  B,  

Forfarshire. 

Frankfort 138, 

Freight  rates 

Fremont  Lake 99,  135,  240, 

Fremont  Lake  marl,  Analysis  of 

136, 

Fremont  flowing  well. 

Fresenius 

Fuel 

G. 

Gamble  Lake 

Gases  in  rain  water 

Geikie,  A 

Geiger  Lake 323, 

Genesee  County 275,  320, 

George  Lake 

German  Portland  Cement  Co 

Gladwin  County 

Goose  Lake 33,  100,  233, 

Gordon,  C.  H 

Grabau,  A,  W. 225, 

Grand  Rapids 33, 

Grand  Traverse  County — 

Grand  Traverse  Region. 141, 

Grant,  John. 


Grass  Lake 33,  228,  286,  310,  338 


quantity  of  marl  in 283 

Grattan  Township 319 

Gratiot  County 100,  322 

Grayling 33,  337 

Great  Marl  Lake 240 

Great  Northern  P.  C.  Company. . . 327 

Green  bush 335 

Greening,  Chas.  E 243 

Greenland  chert  pebbles 181 

Greensand  Marls 5 

Green  Oak  Township 316 

Gregory,  W.  M 227 

Gridley 310 

Griffin  mill....  180,  181 

Grinding,  Fineness  of 181,  349 

Guernsey  Lake  19,  46,  52,  53,  107, 

124,  130 

Gypsum  345 


H. 


Hale,  D.  J.  20,  21,  91,  199,  292,  313, 

325,  384 

record  of  field  work  by 102 

Hanover 228,  310 

Hard  water  lakes. . . 58 

Hardness  of  Water 118 

Harrietta 138,  330 

Harrisville  . 334,  335 

Harwood  Lake. 313 

Hassan,  Tagge  and  Dean 158 

Hastings  Lake 228 

Hauer,  K.  von. 210 

Heath,  Geo,  L 342 

Heat  necessary  to  produce  clinker, 

Amount  of 176 

Hecla  Portland  Cement  and  Coal 
Company  40, 166, 179, 185,  250, 

251,  326,  334 

Heim,  H,  and  W 322 

Helmer 313 

Herring  Lakes 138,  297 

Hess  Lake 240 

Hess,  W.  H,.  .. 233,  281 

Hickory  Creek 154 

Higgins  Lake 91 

Hillsdale 308,  313 

Hodge,  Dr 235 

Hoke,  B 332 

Holden 320 

Holly 316 


220 

312 

174 

180 

373 

353 

343 

333 

11 

294 

310 

292 

35 

3,4 

363 

349 

293 

353 

234 

248 

77 

141 

193 

326 

326 

46 

209 

174 

334 

209 

78 

324 

321 

252 

291 

326 

352 

147 

227 

206 

338 

327 

357 


392 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Homestead  P.  0 

Hood,  A.  P 

Hope  Township 

See  Cloverdale. 

Horicon 

Houghton 

Horseshoe  Lake  19,  46,  49,  52,  53, 
55,  56,  58,  119,  122,  123,  124, 
126, 

soundings  of 

Howard  City 

Howell 

Hubbard,  Bela 

Hubbell,  J.  J 327, 

Humphrey,  R.  L..188,  240,  354,  382, 

Hunt,  T.  S 

Hunt,  Robt.  (4.  & Co..  .13,  158,  274, 


Huron 

Huron  Valley 

I. 

Identification 9, 

Ignition,  Loss  on 

Illinois,  Extension  of  marl  in 

Indiana  Lakes,  Extension  of  marl 

in 6,  99, 

Engineers,  Proceedings 

Ingham  County 

lnterlochen  

Intermediate  Lake 142, 


See  Central  Lake. 

Ionia  County 

Iosco  County 

Iron,  bog 

Iron,  effect  of  on  marl 

Iron  oxide,  deposit  of 

Isabella  County 

J. 

Jackson  County 309, 

Jackson 

Johnson  Lake 

Jonesville 

Jordan  Lake. 

K. 

Kalamo 

Kalamazoo 1,  106,  161,  162,  310, 


Kalamazoo  County 310, 

marl,  analyses 

Kalamazoo  River 310, 

Kalkaska  County 

MtettB  


Keating,  Mr 325 

Kedzie,  Frank  S„  Analyses — 154, 

288,  292,  321,  323,  326,  334 

Kent  County 311,  318 

Kerner 78 

Kimball 240 

Kiln  brick,  Analyses  of 176 

Kiln,  continuous 161 

Dietsch  and  Schofer 196 

Kiln  process  of  cement  manufac- 
ture  162 

Kiln,  Rotary 162 

Kiln,  set 196 

Kippenberger  215 

Kirk,  Ludington 335 

Kleinheksel,  John  H 151 

Kynion  Lake 301,  303,  304,  305,  314 

Kupffer,  A 210 

Kuster’s  work 215 

L. 

Labor  Commission 224 

Lacey’s  Lake 317 

Lagendorfer 182 

Lake  Bluff 332 

Lake  Cochituate 51 

Lake  County 327 

Lakelands 288,  289 

Lake  Leelanaw 332 

Lake  Spring  and  water 51 

Lane,  A,  C.. . .2,  91,  97,  99,  100,  199, 

347,  349 

Lansing 218 

Lapeer  County 321 

Lathbury,  B.  B 158,  191 

Latlibury  and  Spackman 2,  158, 

171, 174, 179, 186, 198,  199,  224, 

251,  298,  299 

LeChatelier,  tests  by 172,  362 

Leelanau  County 327,  328 

Lehr  Lake 301,  303,  304,  305 

Leland 333 

Leltz,  L.  G 73 

Lenawee  County 233,  312,  327,  338 

Leoni 310 

Leslie  Township,  marl 307,  316 

Liberty 309 

Lime  kilns  ...  3,  140 

Lime 345 

Lime,  see  Calcium  and  Marl. 

Effect  of,  on  clinker 230 

Lime  Lake 20,  50,  133,  134,  233 


331 

181 

119 

328 

341 

130 

121 

325 

99 

309 

338 

384 

210 

280 

231 

308 

308 

192 

6 

167 

158 

316 

142 

338 

311 

334 

124 

231 

50 

326 

315 

310 

228 

106 

319 

310 

311 

314 

353 

312 

338 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


393 


Limestone,  Analyses 

Limestone  flour 

Limmea  humilis. 

Lincoln  

Little  Lake 15, 

Littlefield  Lake.  .77,  85.  92,  95,  273, 

292, 

Little  Marl  Lake  

Little  Traverse  Bay 

Little  Whiteflsli  Lake 131, 

Livingston  County 

London  

Long  Lake.  .17, 18,  25,  46,  52,  58,  62, 
106,  107, 110, 117, 118,  119,  120, 
123,  124, 

Caustic  marl  of 

Soundings  of 

Loranger,  U.  R. ..... . ........ 

Lower  Black  River 

Ludington’s  Spring 

Ludwig 

Lupton 185,  189,  298, 

Expense  of  raw  grinding  at. . 
Lupton  Portland  Cement  Company 
Lyell,  Sir  Charles 

M. 

Mackinaw  City 

Macomb  County 

Magnesia. . . . .128,  169,  170,  192,  223, 
342,  345, 

See  also  Analyses. 

Magnesia  or  alumina  brick 

Magnesium  carbonate 35, 

bicarbonate 

oxide 

Maine 

Manistee  and  Northeastern  rail- 
road...   

Manistee. 154,  327,  328, 


Manistee  Junction.. 46, 

Manistee  River 

Manistique 140, 


Manufacture  of  Portland  Cement 

from  marl. ... 

Marble. 

Marengo 

Marshall. 

Materials  for  cement 

Marl,  Acreage  of. 

50  Pt.  Ill 


Marl— Con. 

Adaptability  of,  for  cement 

manufacture 2 

analyses.. 8,  32,  48,  75,  76,  103, 

136,  153,  157,  218,  236,  240, 

279,  283,  287,  291,  292,  295, 

298,  315,  318,  319,  320,  321, 

324,  337,  338,  339,  342,  344,  353 


Appearance  of 31 

Average  of  volume  to  barrel.  168 

in  bayous 16 

beds,  without  chara 81 

bed,  sealed 17 

bed,  increase  and  decrease  in 

depth  of 17 

Caustic 124 

Chemical  precipitation  of  . . . 58 

claims ! 312 

and  clay  in  Michigan 343 

and  clay  in  properties,  De- 
velopment of,  for  Mfg.  of 

Portland  cement 191 

Suitable  time  for  investi- 
gation of 191 

Tests  to  be  made  of 192 

Necessary  composition  of . . . . 169 

and  origin  of 32 

Contamination  of 7 

covered  with  water 13 

deposits,  Relation  of  to  direc- 
tion of  prevailing  strong 

winds 96 

Requisites  for 169 

Deposition  of 22,  63,  66 

upon  aquatic  plants 69 

Depth  of 169 

Distribution  of 5,  6,  9 

in  a single  bed,  16 

as  fertilizer 309 

formation 54,  62 

found  in  hard  water  lakes ...  14 

Gradation  in  quality  of 18 

Grain  of 170 

Granular  structure  of 74 

Impure 48 

Indication  of,  by  circum- 
stances of  occurrence 47 

Interpretation  of 34 

Lake 275,  276,  292,  322 

lakes,  Level  of 15 

Location  of,  according  to 
counties 312 


339 

222 

98 

334 

139 

293 

240 

141 

132 

316 

312 

126 

115 

124 

251 

340 

334 

118 

299 

174 

297 

77 

141 

315 

349 

175 

210 

213 

192 

97 

338 

331 

150 

331 

341 

158 

6 

311 

311 

160 

302 


394 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Marl— Con. 

Location  of 13,  15 

Location  of,  Conditions  gov- 
erning   22 

Location  and  size  of  bed 38 

manufacture,  magnitude  of 

cost  of  2 

Materials,  overlying 29 

underlying 28 

Natural  history  of,  Contribu- 
tion to 66 

Organic  matter  in 21 

See  also  Succinic  Acid. 

Origin  of 2,  323 

and  peat 82 

precipitate 58 

Precipitation  of 59 

Precipitated  in  deep  water. . 52 

Pure 61,  83 

Quality  of 61,  193 

Quality  and  formation  of, 

Change  in 62 

Quantity  of 278,  283 

Settling  of 84 

shells 97 

stages  or  steps  or  growth  of . . 17 

Surroundings  of 23 

Tufaceous 311 

Ultimate  sources  of 66 

Uses  of 3 

Underlying  cedar  swamp 93 

Wet 177 

Marshgrowtli,  Lining  of 27 

Maskego  Lake 312 

Mason  County 327 

Mastodon 313 

Material  for  cement,  Amount  of.. . 294 

McLouth,  C.  D. 137 

McMillan 90 

Medway 160 

Merkell’s 210,  215 

“ Merl 99  or  Marl  Lake 83 

Mecosta  County . 326 

Michigan 65 

Michigan  Alkali  Co.,  Wyandotte 

(J.  B.  Ford) 248 

Description  of  plant 248 

Michigan  clays 171 

Extension  of  marl  in 6 

Michigan  Miner 227 


Michigan  Portlaud  Cement  Co.. 33,  315 


Midland  County 326 

Mikado 335 

Milton 311 

Milwaukee 182 

Millbury 170,  229,  336,  337 

Mineral  Lake v.  276 

Mill  tests  of  cement 358 

Mills  Lake 252,  255 

Millstone 180 

Missaukee  County 333 

Mixing  cement 368 

Mixing  materials,  Methods  of  .... . 161 

Mixing  and  raw  grinding 173 

Molds,  cement 368,  369 

Mollusca 68,  101 

Monroe 307 

Monroe  Center 331 

Monroe  County 312 

Montcalm  County 322 

Montmorency 338 

Mortars,  Adhesive  qualities  of 355 

Moscow 228 

Mosher’s  Lake 228 

Mosely 78 

Motive  power 184 

Mound  Springs 20,  147 

Muck,  Marly 8 

Muck  or  peat 343 


See  Peat. 

Mud  or  Round  Lake 14,  46,  117,  129 

Mud  Lake,  Hope  Township.  .52,  53, 

62,  100,  116,  118 


Oakland  County 275,  276,  280 

Ionia  County 320 

Genesee  County 320,  321 

Muir,  Ionia  County 320 

Mullett  Lake 340 

Munising 139 

Murray,  G 90 

Muskegon  County 137,  325 


N. 


Napoleon 

309 

Naubinw  ay  marl 

33,  340 

Nellist,  J.  F 

318 

Nelson,  W.  S 

324 

Nettle  Lake 

313 

Newaygo  County  — 

325 

Newaygo  Portland 

Cement  Co., 

livTi  iljgU  JTUI  lldUU  LCUlvUl  vvif 

(Gibraltar) 189,  240,  241 

Newberry 172,  176 


GENERAL  INDEX . 


395 


Newell’s  steam  mill 312 

New  England 65 

New  Jersey  marl 3,  5 

New  York . 78 

Niles  98,  107 

Northbrancli  Township 321 

Northcote 210 

North  Island.  144,  145,  146 

North  and  South  Carolina  marls. . 5 

O. 

Oak  Grove,  Bog  lime  near 316 

Oakland  County 275,  308,  316 

Oceana  County.. 325 

Ogemaw  County,.... 334 

Ohio ...'.167,  337 

Engineers’  proceedings 158 

Olsen  testing  machine 371,  372 

Olson  Lake 325 

Omega  Portland  Cement  Company 

168,  173,  179,  227,  232,  308,  313 

Onekama  Lake 28,  154,  328 

Organic  matter 27,  37,  345 


See  also  Analyses. 

Origin  of  marl 

Orion 

Osborn  Company 

Osceola  County  

Oscoda  County 

Ottawa 

Otsego  County 

Overburning 

Owosso 

Oxides  of  iron  and  alumina 

P. 


Paints,  Adulterants  for 4 

Parmelee,  H.  P.  42 

Pasley 355 

Pat  tests 375 

Paw  Paw  River 154 


Peat.. 93,  281,  303,  314,  317,  320,  322, 

325,  343 

Peerless  Portland  Cement  Co.. 237, 


310,  384 

Penliallow 90 

Peninsular  Portland  Cement  Co. 

233,  313 

Pentwater 325 


....  321 
158,  232 
....  327 
....  337 
312,  318 
....  338 
....  179 
....  200 
....  192 


Per  cent  of  water  used  in  mixing 


cement 182,  349,  366 

Perry,  C.  YV.,  of  Clare 293 

Petobago  Lake 245 

Petroleum 175 

Pettenkoper 209 

Phosphoric  acid 37,  50 

Pickerel  Lake,  Newaygo  County, 

99,  240 

Pierson  326 

Pierson  Lakes 131 

Pine  Creek 46 


Pine  Lake. . .19,  46,  53,  81,  107,  126, 

131,  148 


Deep  waters  of 53 

Soundings  at 127 

Pisidium 98 

Pisidium  contortum 97 

Pittsfield,  Mass 97 

Planorbis  parvus 97 

Planorbis  bicarinatus 98 

Plant  life,  Decayed 27 

Plants,  Fixed 59,  60 

Platte  Lake,  Little 333 

Platte  River 137,  329 

Platte  Township. 331 

Plummer  Lake. 252,  254 

Plymouth  Township  307 

Portage  Lake,  Onekama. . . .17,  63, 

154,  155,  333 

“ Portland,”  Origin  of  name 158 

Portland  cement.  Manufacture  of.  158 
Power,  Cost  of 185 

Prairieville 317 

Precipitate  of  crystals — 217,  218,  220 

Presque  Isle  County 339 

Price  Lake 52 

Proceedings,  Ohio  Society  of  Sur- 
veyors and  Civil  Engineers,  158 

Proceedings,  Indiana  Eng.  Soc 158 

Prophet,  John. 340 

Prospecting,  Methods  of 29 

Prospecting  tools 9,  139 

Pulaski 310 

Pupidse. 98 

Pyramid  Portland  Cement  Com- 
pany  291,  352 


Q. 


Quicklime 3,  308 

Quincy 103,  104,  106,  175,  228 


396 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


R. 


Raftelee  Lake 273,  275, 

Ransome  rotary  kiln 1,  174, 


Ranr  material,  Admixture  of 

Record  book,  Form  of 

Reading- 

Reed  City 

Reed,  George 

Rice  Lake 21,  29,  59,  151,  152, 

Rice  reeds 

Riley  and  Sizanne,  chara  lime- 
stones  

Rim  roller 

Riverdale 

Rives 

Robinson,  H 

Rock  cement 

Rock  Islet 

Rock  Lake 322, 

Rocky  Island. 

Roman  cement 

Roscommon  County 

Rosevear,  W.  B. 

Ross,  Kalamazoo 

Rotary  kiln 1, 

Rotary  process 

Round  Lake 46,  107,  110, 

Rnnciman,  J.  H.,  Mill  lake 

Runyan  Lake 274,  275, 

Russell’s  farm  

Russell,  I.  C 158,  180,  288,  291, 

S. 

Sage  Lake 

Saginaw  Bay.  

Saginaw  County 

Sagittaria 

St.  Clair  County 

St.  Ignace 


St.  Joseph 307, 

St.  Joseph’s  River 

Saline  Springs 

Salts  Bicarbonated 59, 


See  Bicarbonates. 

Salt  (sodic  chloride),  effect  on  sol. . 

Salt  wells 

Sampling  cement 

Sand 28,  161, 

Sand  lake 228, 

Sand  marl  cement 

Sand,  Marly 


Sandstone 310 

Sandusky  Cement  Co 296 

Sanilac  County 231 

Savicki,  W.  Y 341 

Schimper 78 

Scirpus  lacustris 119 

Schizothrix 77,  90,  351 

aggregates 236 

Schloessing 208,  209,  211 

Sedimentary  theory 42,  44 

Setting,  Time  of 187 

“ Settle  backs” 160 

Seward 78 

Shabno’s 335 

Shale 149,  192,  321,  338,  342. 

Shells 43 

Shell  deposit 61 

Shell  theory 41 

Shell  structure 221 

Shepard,  W.  H 293,  294 

Sherman 329,  330,  331,  332 

Sherzer,  Will  H, 312 

Shiawassee  County 320 

Shore  wash,  spoiling  marl 24 

Siderite 210 

Silica,  Effect  of,  on  marl. . . .36,  73, 

192,  231 

See  also  Analyses. 

Silt,  under  water 26 

Silver  Lakes 276,  280,  290 

Simons,  W.  H 328 

“Slag” 187 

Slurry 158,  176 

Smeaton 159,  355 

Smidth,  F.  L,,  <fc  Company 189 

Snow,  Dr.  Julia  W 90 

Sodium  bicarbonate 215 

Solms-Laubach 78 

Solubility  of  gases  in  water 208 

Solubility,  Point  of 45 

Solubility  of  calcium  oxide,  etc.. . 212 

Somers,  J.  H.,  Coal  Company 293 

Soundings  in  lakes 18,  19 

South  Bend 162 

South  Island,  Central  Lake,  Sec- 
tion across 145,  146 

South  Lyon 316,  320 

Spaulding  Township 99 

Species,  list  of 101,  102 

Specific  gravity,  Apparatus  for 

making  determinations 362 

Specific  gravity  and  fineness 187 


276 

175 

171 

380 

313 

151 

324 

156 

142 

78 

180 

325 

310 

293 

334 

122 

323 

113 

354 

333 

341 

310 

179 

163 

290 

315 

283 

331 

349 

334 

90 

322 

284 

321 

141 

313 

154 

307 

60 

213 

177 

359 

170 

313 

37 

8 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


397 


Specifications  for  cement  for  Navy 


Dept 186, 

Spring,  deep 53, 


Sulphur 

percentage  of  calcium  and 

magnesium  in 

Point  of  saturation  of 

Soft 

water,  hard 

Characteristic  of  a marl 

region 

Spring  Arbor 310, 

Spring  Lake 

Spring-port 310, 

Squaw  Lake. ... 

St.  Ignace. 

Standard  Portland  Cement  Com- 
pany   168,  288,  289, 

Standiford  Portland  Cement  Com- 
pany   301, 

Stanger  & Blount 175, 

Stanley,  J.  S 298, 

State  Lumber  Company 

Sterki,  Dr.  V 

Stone 

Stone  wall  swamp 

Stoneworts 

Stony  Point 

Storage  and  packing 

Stowe,  C.  B 

Straits  of  Mackinac 

Strawberry  Lake 

Streams 

Strength,  Compressive,  of  marl 

Highest .... 


Tensile 183, 

Sturgis 

Succinic  acid 88, 


Sulphate,  Sodic  or  magnesic. 

Sulphur  spring 

Sulphuric  and  phosphoric  acids, 

chlorine,  etc 

Sulphuric  acid  37,  50,  169,  170,  192, 

345, 

See  also  Analyses. 

Summerfield 

Surface 

Surlaciug  

Surroundings  of  marl 

Susan  Lake. 

Swain,  Isaac  N 

Swan  Creek 


T. 


Tamarack  log 29 

Taylor,  F.  B 321 

Taylor’s  Landing 340 

Tensile  strength  of  cement  232,  300,  368 

Temperature,  Average 216 

Temperature  of  lake  waters 51 

Temperature  of  marl 286 

Temperature  of  wells 323 

Tests,  Analytical 71 

Tests  of  cement  188,  232.  256,  257,  269, 
281,  297,  300,  382 
See  Also  Analyses. 

Testing  cement 181,  348  355 

Tests,  Tension 300,  378 

Texas,  Kalamazoo  County 310 

Three  Rivers  Cement  Compauy. . . 292 
Tims  Lake,  Quantity  of  marl  in  283,  286 

Tompkins  Township 310 

Tooth  and  scouring  powder,  use  of 

marl  for 4 

Tourmaline 325 

T.  1 N.,  R.1  W 307 

T.  1 and  2 S.,  R.  4 F 315 

T.  2 N.,  R.1W 307 

T.2S.,  R.1W 310 

T.  2 S.,  R.  2 E 283 

T.  2 S.,  R.  13  W 312,  314 

T.  2 and  3 N.,  R.  11  W 317 

T.  2 N.,  R.  5 E 316 

T.  2 N.,  R.  5 W 310 

T.  2 N.,  R.  6 W 310 

T.  3 S.,  R.  7 W 310 

T.  3 N.,  R.  13  W 312 

T.  4 N.,  R.  6 E 274 

T.  4 N,,  R.16W 312 

T.  4 S„  R.  11  YV 314 

T.  4 S.,  R.  12  W 314 

T.  5 N.,  R.  7 E 277 

T.  6 N..  R.  1 W 313 

T.  6 N.,  R.  2 YV 320 

T.  6 N.,  R.  3 YV 313 

T.  6 N.,  R.  5 YV 311 

T,  6 N.,  R.  12  YV 311 

T.  7 N.,  R.  10  W 311 

T.  8 N.,  R.  8 YV 311 

T.  8 S.,  R.  11  YV 291 

T.  9 N.,  R.  9 YV 319 

T.  10  N.,  R,  11  YV 99 

T.  11  N.,  R.  5 E.,  Sec.  3 99 

T.  11  N.,  R.  11  YV 99 


188 

62 

132 

45 

45 

62 

15 

23 

352 

104 

335 

275 

340 

316 

303 

176 

330 

331 

98 

224 

321 

78 

340 

185 

283 

46 

290 

25 

183 

182 

188 

313 

287 

210 

132 

37 

361 

312 

25 

169 

23 

81 

310 

104 


398 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


T.  12  N.,  R,4W 

T.  13  N.,  R.  5,  Sec.  36 

T.  14  N.,  R.  4 W.,  Sec.  3 

T.  17  N.,  R.  4 W. 

T.  17  and  18  N.,  R.  4 W 

T.  20  N.,  R.  12  W.,  Sec.  24 

T.  21  N.,  R.  17  W.t  Secs.  4 and  5. . 

T.  21  N„  R.  18  W.,  Sec.  22 

T.  22  N.,  R.  16  W.,  Secs.  15  and  31, 

T.  22  N.,  R.  18  W.,  Sec.  30 

T.  23  N.,  R.  12  W.,  Sec.  10 

T.  23  N.,  R.  16  W.,  Sec.  25 

T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W.,  Sec.  18 

T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W.,  Sec.  19 

T.  24  N.,R.  11  W.,  Sec.  30 

T.  24  N.,  R.  11  W.,  Sec.  31 329, 

T.  24  N.,  R.  12  W.,  Sec.  25 

T.  24  N.,  R.  12  W.,  Sec.  18 

T,  24N.,R.  13  W.,  Sec.  7 

T.  24  N.,  R.  14  W.,  Sec.  10 

T.  25  N.,  R.  11  W.,  Sec.  6 

T.  25  N.,R.  11  W.,  Sec.  23 

T.  25  N.,  R.  12  W.,  Sec.  9 

T.  25  N.,  R.  15  W.  .. 

T.  25  N.,  R.  16  W 

T.  26  N.,  R.  IE 

T.  26  N.,  R.  9 E.,  Sec.  32 

T.  26  N.,  R.  12  W.,  Sec.  26 

T.  26  N.,  R.  13  W.,  Sec.  4 

T.  26  N.,  R.  15  W.,  Sec.  36 

T.  27  N.,  R.  9 E 335, 

T.  27  N.,  R.  11  W.,  Sec.  1 

T.  27  N.,  R.  12  W.,  Sec.  6 

T.  27  N.,  R.  14  W.,  Sec.  6 

T.  27  N.,  R.  14  W.,  Sec.  14 

T.  27  N.,  R.  14  YV.,  Sec.  29. . . .329, 

T.  28  N.,  R.  11  W.,  Sec.  28 

T.  28  N.,  R.  12  YV.,  Sec.  1 

T.  28  N.,  R.  12  YV.,  Sec.  10 

T.  28  N.,  R.  12  YV.,  Sec.  12 

T.  28  N.,  R.  12  YV.,  Sec.  15 

T,  29  N.,  R.  13  YV 

T.  29  N.,  R.  14  YV.,  Sec.  26 

T.  30  N.,  R.  12  YV.,  Sec.  4 

T.  33  N.,R.  3 E. 

T.  33  N.,  R.  7 W.,  Sec.  3 


T.  34  N.,  R.26  E 

Traverse  Bay  region 46, 

Traverse  City 329, 


Treadwell  & Reuter  45,  46,  47,  67, 

200,  201, 

Tri-calcic  aluminate 


Tri-calcic  silicate 172 

Trout  Lake 141 

Tubb’s  Lake 335 

Tube  mill 180 

Tucker,  Dr.  YV.  H 340 

Tufa 308 

Tufa,  Calcareous  43,  335 

Turbidity  due  to  marl 83 

Turkey  Lake 313 

Turtle  Lake 237 

Tuscola  County  321 

Twenty  one  Lake 46,  107 

Twentieth  Century  Portland 

Cement  Co. 281,  320 

Twin  Lakes 134 

Tyrrell 337 

U. 

Underburning 179 

Union  City 1,  104,  161,  162,  228 

Upper  Herring  Lake 333 

Upper  Peninsula 16 

Uses  of  marl 3 

V. 

Valvata  tricarinata 97,  98 

Van  Buren 312,  314 

Vandaliaat  Donald’s  Lake 313 

Vevay 317 

Vicat 159,  356,  364,  365,  36T 

Veenboer,  Dr.  M 151 

Y'olume,  Constancy  of 187,  374,  376 

W. 

Wade,  Chas... 106 

Walker,  Mr 82,  221 

Ward,  Henry  B 81,  82 

Warren  Lake 276 

Warren  & Whipple 52 

Warrington 210 

Washtenaw 308,  31^ 

Water,  Analyzed  for  carbonates.  , . 46 

Water,  Effect  of  on  cement 349 

Hardness  of 118 

Waters,  Movement  of  lakes 52 

Water  plants 56 

YY'ater,  per  cent  of  used  in  mixing 

cement 182,  349 

Water  power 185 

Water,  Requisite  for  cement. . .349,  366 
Water,  Spring 216 


100 

99 

100 

293 

293 

333 

328 

331 

328 

331 

331 

328- 

332 

333 

329 

331 

331 

332 

328 

328 

331 

329 

328 

297 

297 

337 

335 

328 

333 

333 

336 

332 

328 

331 

329 

331 

329 

328 

333 

332 

328 

333 

333 

332 

340 

245 

341 

81 

332 

235 

172 


GENERAL  INDEX , 


399 


Watery  ale 

166,  297, 

338 

Wayne  County 

315 

Webster,  John 

322 

Weed 

65 

Wesenberg-Lund 

68, 

78 

West,  Mr.  F,  E 

88 

West  German  Portland 

Cement 

Co 

306 

Wetmore 

20, 

139 

Wexford. 

.327,  329 

332 

Wheeler,  Mr 

104 

White  Pigeon 

103, 

291 

White  Kiver 

307 

Whitney,  H.  K 

301. 

350 

Willow  Brook  Farm 297 

Wisconsin,  Extension  of  marl  in. . . 6 

Wolverine  Portland  Cement  Com- 
pany   182,  246,  384 

Woodstock 167,  228 

Wyoming  Township 319 

Z. 

Zenith  Portland  Cement  Company 

282,  310 

Zonotricliia 90,  91,  95 

See  Schizothrix. 

Zukey  Lake ..91,  168,  288 


\ 


X 


^ • 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  MICHIGAN. 


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4 

IMPORTANT  DEPOSITS  OF 
BOG  LIME. 

Portland  Cement  Factories.  p 
Factory  Sites  Suggested.  A 


Page  224 
“ 227 


Description  in  Text. 

Alpena  P.  G.  Go. 

Omega  P.  G.  Co. 

Peninsular  P.  G.  Go. 
Peerless  P.  G.  Co. 

Bronson  P.  C.  Co. 

Elk  Rapids  P.  G.  Co. 
Wolverine  P.  G.  Go. 
Michigan  Alkali  Go. 

Hecla  Cement  and  Coal  Go. 
Great  Northern  P.  C.  Go. 
Detroit  P.  G.  Go. 

Egyptian  P.  G.  Co. 
Twentieth  Century  P.  C.  Co. 
Zenith  P.  C.  Go. 

Standard  P.  C.  Co. 

Pyramid  P.  G.  Go. 

German  P.  G.  Go. 

Three  Rivers  P.  G.  Go. 
Farwell  P.  G.  Go. 

Glare  P.  G.  Go. 

Watervale  P.  G.  Co. 

Lupton  P.  C.  Co. 

Standiford  P.  C.  Go. 

Bellaire  P.  C.  Co. 

West  German  P.  G.  Go. 


H 1 


VOL.  VIII,  PART  III,  PLATE  XXIII. 


.firsnri  Rapids  Liihu  LqJ 


M.  ! • SAM  " 


die  ista-ii  at  •• 


r; 


